Treat low vision problem at the earliest

by Max Jones | Jan 17, 2016 | Eye Care, general, Health | 0 comments

Some people are almost blind without regular glasses and contact lenses, whereas some have low vision problem and they look for solutions to check losing the sight further.

The causes of deterioration in eyesight are not very rare to find and many individuals around us can be seen with glasses and contact lenses. Some people find it difficult to sight an object after putting off their thick glasses. This is the condition of low vision that can simply make your everyday tasks difficult. Difficulty in sighting can pose serious challenges to accomplish daily activities like driving, reading, sewing, writing, watching TV, viewing pictures, identifying faces and colors etc. There are millions of people living with different stages of vision impairment. It is estimated that more than 14 million people with low vision are living only in America.

Measurement of vision:
The ratio measurement of vision defines the condition of visual acuity, or the health of your vision, at 20 feet from an object. For example, if you are having 20/60 vision than it means you must be at 20 feet to see an object that a person with normal vision can see at 60 feet.

As per the intensity of visual impairment, the World Health Organization has come up with some types of eyesight loss, such as:
• 20/30 to 20/60 is a mild vision loss, or almost normal eyesight
• 20/70 to 20/160 indicates moderate visual impairment
• 20/200 to 20/400 is considered severe visual impairment
• 20/500 to 20/1,000 is considered profound visual impairment
• Less than 20/1,000 is a condition of near-total visual impairment/blindness
• No perception or reaction to light is considered as total visual impairment, a condition of blindness

Some common types of partial vision loss are known as:
• Loss of central vision
• Loss of side or peripheral vision
• Light sensitivity
• Night blindness
• Blurred vision
• Hazy vision

Causes of vision loss:
Low vision can be caused by a variety of conditions and injuries and age. Besides age-related retinal conditions, there are many other possible conditions like macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma, corneal opacification, eye cancer, eye trauma, genetic defects, brain injury, stroke, albinism etc. that cause vision problems. People above of 45 witness these problems more often.

Macular degeneration is the most common problem that directly affects the retina, causing light sensitive lining at the back of the eye. The deterioration in macula causes blurred vision and it’s very common in old people.

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Blindness or low vision can occur in combination with some other health conditions such as autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, hearing impairments, and epilepsy.

Signs of low vision:
The weakening of eyesight is not something that you can experience all of a sudden, but you identify its presence over a period of time. If you feel you are losing vision, then test some glasses to check the status of eyesight. There are some signs that indicate you are losing vision.

• If you find it difficult to distinguish colors or have color blindness
• Light sensitivity
• Difficulty in recognizing faces
• Difficulty in reading, sewing, driving and some other daily activities
• Blurred vision

Possible treatment of low vision:
Once the eyesight is lost, it’s difficult to restore. Low vision due to any disease can be partially regained. But vision loss due to aging is very difficult to find what you had previously. Eye surgery is widely performed to reduce the impact of low vision causes. Many ophthalmologists recommend a vision rehabilitation program to help out those individuals with low vision.

Don’t forget to include nutritious diet in your treatment plan because the intake of poor food products can deteriorate the eyesight further.

Also Read: Take Care of Your Eye Health

Live well with low vision:
Ophthalmologists agree that low vision should not affect the quality of life. Low vision rehabilitation is often recommended to those who are suffering from the vision impairment. Under this treatment program, low vision rehabilitative services and resources are provided to those living with different types of eyesight loss. These services are helpful to restore the eye vision victims as they teach a variety of techniques to perform.

Optimize eyesight:
Some devices and practical solutions are there to overcome low vision problems to a good extent. These devices include:
• Use magnifying glasses or lenses
• Use large-print objects like books, newspapers, remote controls, telephones etc.
• Use talking devices like watches, computer, timers and other household devices
• Take the appropriate eye shield when roaming outside
• Keep good lighting in your home
• Softly wash eyes to remove dust and mucus

Conclusion:
If you are born with a good eye vision, then try not to lose it easily. Follow a healthy lifestyle that goes well with your eye’s health. Try to identify the start of low vision to control it at earliest. Many aids are available for you today, so don’t wait any longer, join a low vision rehabilitation program that will certainly help you enhance eye vision.