{"id":13959,"date":"2021-06-13T12:04:35","date_gmt":"2021-06-13T12:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=13959"},"modified":"2021-07-18T20:02:42","modified_gmt":"2021-07-18T20:02:42","slug":"low-vision-is-not-no-vision","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-low-vision\/top-home-tips-for-low-vision\/low-vision-is-not-no-vision\/","title":{"rendered":"Low Vision is Not \u2018No Vision\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Did you know that you can still see with low vision?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-low-vision\/\">Low vision is not \u2018no vision.\u2019<\/a> This just means that part of your vision is compromised and often a walking cane and seeing-eye dog or other devices can allow you to still enjoy life.<\/p>\n<p>Below you\u2019ll learn about how having low vision still means you can enjoy doing everyday activities, such as reading.<\/p>\n<p>If you have been told you have \u2018low vision\u2019<b>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\">contact an eye doctor near you<\/a><\/b> who can evaluate your vision and discuss the best devices for you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SEE RELATED: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-low-vision\/top-home-tips-for-low-vision\/diagnosed-with-low-vision-what-to-do-next\/\">Diagnosed with Low Vision \u2013 What To Do Next?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t<div class=\"practice-search-widget\">\n\t\t<h3>Find an eye doctor near you<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t<form class=\"practice-search-form practice-search-form-widget\" action=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/results\/\" method=\"get\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"page\" class=\"practice-search-page\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_latitude\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_longitude\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"address\" class=\"practice-search-address\" placeholder=\"City, Surburb or Address\" value=\"\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<button type=\"submit\" class=\"practice-search-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M10.6796 0.130005C9.15708 0.130059 7.66615 0.5646 6.38198 1.38258C5.09781 2.20057 4.07373 3.36803 3.43004 4.74783C2.78634 6.12763 2.54976 7.66246 2.74808 9.17205C2.9464 10.6816 3.57139 12.1033 4.54964 13.27L0.729639 17.08C0.6364 17.1732 0.562439 17.2839 0.511979 17.4058C0.461519 17.5276 0.435547 17.6581 0.435547 17.79C0.435547 17.9219 0.461519 18.0524 0.511979 18.1743C0.562439 18.2961 0.6364 18.4068 0.729639 18.5C0.917942 18.6883 1.17334 18.7941 1.43964 18.7941C1.5715 18.7941 1.70207 18.7681 1.82389 18.7177C1.94571 18.6672 2.0564 18.5932 2.14964 18.5L5.99964 14.62C7.35406 15.6038 8.98566 16.1324 10.6596 16.13C12.7814 16.13 14.8162 15.2871 16.3165 13.7869C17.8168 12.2866 18.6596 10.2517 18.6596 8.13C18.6596 6.00827 17.8168 3.97344 16.3165 2.47315C14.8162 0.97286 12.7814 0.130005 10.6596 0.130005H10.6796ZM10.6796 14.13C9.49295 14.13 8.33291 13.7781 7.34622 13.1188C6.35952 12.4595 5.59049 11.5225 5.13636 10.4261C4.68224 9.32975 4.56342 8.12335 4.79493 6.95946C5.02644 5.79558 5.59788 4.72648 6.437 3.88736C7.27611 3.04825 8.34521 2.4768 9.5091 2.24529C10.673 2.01378 11.8794 2.1326 12.9757 2.58673C14.0721 3.04085 15.0092 3.80989 15.6685 4.79658C16.3277 5.78328 16.6796 6.94332 16.6796 8.13C16.6796 9.7213 16.0475 11.2474 14.9223 12.3726C13.7971 13.4979 12.2709 14.13 10.6796 14.13Z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"practice-search-use-my-location\">\n\t\t\tSearch near me\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\n\t<\/form>\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h2><b>What is Low Vision?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>It can be confusing to hear the words &#8220;visual impairment,&#8221; &#8220;low vision,&#8221; or &#8220;blindness&#8221; from your eye doctor. The more you understand these terms, the more you&#8217;ll be able to advocate for yourself or a loved one who has a visual impairment.<\/p>\n<p><b>Visual impairment <\/b>&#8211; is an umbrella term that describes any type of vision loss. The words used to describe types of visual impairment are listed below:<\/p>\n<p><b>Low vision<\/b> &#8211; visual acuity of 20\/70 or poorer in the better-seeing eye, that can\u2019t be improved any further with glasses or contacts.<\/p>\n<p><b>Legally blind<\/b> &#8211; corrected vision of 20\/200 in the better-seeing eye, even with glasses contacts or surgery. A person is not considered legally blind if visual aids such as eyeglasses can correct a person\u2019s vision to 20\/200 or better.<\/p>\n<p><b>Totally blind<\/b> &#8211; a complete loss of functional sight due to a genetic condition, disease or injury.<\/p>\n<p><b>Partial vision <\/b>&#8211; The ability to see through only part of their visual field, or have adequate\u00a0 central vision but poor peripheral vision. This is most common due to a brain tumor, brain injury or an eye disease.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Does low vision mean blindness?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>No.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-low-vision\/\"> Low vision<\/a> is vision loss that can&#8217;t be corrected with glasses, contact lenses or surgery. However, it\u2019s not considered blindness, as some sight remains. A person with low vision mau only experience one or more of: blurry sight, blind sports, or poor night vision.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Common types of low vision<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b>1. Loss of central vision<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>With loss of central vision, a person\u2019s side (peripheral) vision remains mainly unaffected.<\/p>\n<p>Loss of central vision results in a blur or blind spot in the center of what you are looking at. This makes reading, recognizing faces, and distinguishing most features in the distance difficult.<\/p>\n<p>Mobility, on the other hand, is still possible as the person has usable side vision.<\/p>\n<h3><b>2. Loss of peripheral (side) vision<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>With loss of peripheral vision, the central vision that remains allows the person to see directly ahead, read, watch TV and see faces.<\/p>\n<p>People who lose their peripheral vision cannot distinguish objects in one or both sides, or items directly above and\/or below eye level. Loss of peripheral vision typically affects mobility.<\/p>\n<p>In severe cases, this can slow reading speed as the person can only see a few words at a time.<\/p>\n<p>This is referred to as tunnel vision and can be caused by glaucoma or brain tumor or injury.<\/p>\n<h3><b>3. Blurred vision<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Even with the highest possible correction using eyeglasses, blurred vision causes both near and far vision to be out of focus.<\/p>\n<p>This is often caused by macular degeneration, cataract or diabetic edema.<\/p>\n<h3><b>4. Reduced contrast sensitivity<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>People who lose their contrast sensitivity lose their vision quality. They have the feeling that there is a general haze with a filmy or cloudy appearance.<\/p>\n<h3><b>5. Glare light sensitivity<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>This happens when a person&#8217;s visual system is overwhelmed by normal amounts of light, resulting in a washed-out image and\/or glare. Extreme light sensitivity can cause pain or discomfort even when exposed to normal amounts of light.<\/p>\n<h3><b>6. Night blindness<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Night blindness prevents people from seeing outside at night or in dimly lit indoor spaces such as restaurants or movie theaters.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Low vision devices<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>A variety of treatment options of devices help people with<a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-low-vision\/\"> low vision live and work independently<\/a>, and can vastly improve the quality of life. Most people with low vision can benefit from one or more treatment options.<\/p>\n<p>The most commonly prescribed devices include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Canes and seeing-eye dogs<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Glasses-mounted magnifiers<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Handheld or glasses-mounted telescopes<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Handheld and stand magnifiers<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Electronic (video) magnification<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Assistive technology &#8211; such as screen readers\/speech output and software enlargement programs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Other products that can assist people with vision impairment include large-type books, magazines, and newspapers, books on tape, talking wristwatches, self-threading needles and more.<\/p>\n<p>All of these devices can help improve your quality of life by improving your low vision.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LEARN MORE:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-low-vision\/\">Guide to Low Vision<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\"><b>Schedule an appointment with an eye doctor near you<\/b><\/a> who can evaluate your vision and recommend the right low vision device for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did you know that you can still see with low vision? Low vision is not \u2018no vision.\u2019 This just means that part of your vision<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13960,"parent":11010,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-article.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13959","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Low Vision is Not \u2018No Vision\u2019 - Optometrists.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-low-vision\/top-home-tips-for-low-vision\/low-vision-is-not-no-vision\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Low Vision is Not \u2018No Vision\u2019 - Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Did you know that you can still see with low vision? 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