Millions of Americans have a condition that causes low vision,with a potential devastating impact in their everyday life. Vision is the primary way our brain takes in information from the environment. Everyday tasks become very difficult to complete if the eyes have a problem taking in information from the outside world and/or the brain has difficulty interpreting what the eyes see.
So, what is low vision?
Low vision is vision loss that cannot be corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses, surgery or medication.Low vision not only includes blurred vision, but things like night blindness, glare sensitivity, a blind spot when looking straight ahead and loss of peripheral vision. Consider how easy it is to fix things about your vision you find annoying. For example, when you step outside on a sunny day, you put sunglasses on to avoid squinting. When you have difficulty seeing details because your glasses are dirty, you clean themand now your vision is crystal clear.People with low vision also have these problems butcan’t use these techniques because the underlying causewill not allow it.
Low vision can impact people of all ages. Causes of low vision include disease/conditions, trauma to the eye or head and aging.Some people are born with conditions that cause vision loss whereas other diseases occur with aging, such as Diabetic Retinopathy and Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Macular Degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss in Americans over the age of 60. Neurological conditions, such as traumatic brain injury and stroke, can cause low vision problems as well.
Because eyeglasses won’t completely correct their vision, people with low vision have to use their remaining vision to perform daily tasks. Techniques like magnification, lighting and increasing contrast are ways people can enhance visibility. Some examples of increasing contrast include inverting the text print on a smartphone or tablet to white print on black background or using a different colored lens in sunglasses.
Driving is a big concern for people with low vision. A person’s ability to drive safely with low vision needs to be assessed by an eye doctor and a driver rehabilitation specialist. The eye exam completed by the doctor will determine if a person meets their state’s vision requirements for driving and may give some indication if that person would benefit from an assistive device to help with driving. Depending on the type of vision loss, some people may be candidates for bioptics. A bioptic is a telescope mountedto the top of a person’s eyeglasses so that it doesn’t obstruct their view. Drivers looks through their eyeglass lenses most of the time and briefly look through the bioptic to read road signs and assess upcoming obstacles. Bioptic lenses are considered adaptive driving equipment when used to meet motor vehicle requirements. Specific skills are needed to ensure safe driving with bioptics.
Driving to Independence offers bioptic driving assessments and training. We work closely with optometrists who prescribe the Bioptic Telescopic Lens System to train individuals in the use of this device while driving and successfully complete a road test with the motor vehicle department