Tips for Coping with Low Vision | AMD & Low Vision Awareness Month

Anyone who has low vision knows it can interfere with everything from successfully managing activities of daily living to getting around safely.

​Tasks such as self-care, cooking, eating, navigating in your home, and traveling outside of your home can all be quite challenging with low vision. Low vision is considered significant vision loss or impairment that is not corrected fully with medication, contacts, or glasses.
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Low vision can be caused by a variety of eye conditions. One of the leading causes of low vision is age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Living with low vision can make performing everyday activities challenging. For example, losing the ability to drive or read the newspaper can make people feel cut off from the outside world.
 
Fortunately, there are several things people with low vision can do to maintain their independence and maximize the vision they have remaining.
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Consider Vision Rehabilitation

Going through vision rehabilitation may be helpful for people living with low vision. Although rehabilitation won’t restore vision that has already been lost, it can help someone learn new ways of doing things. Vision rehabilitation specialists provide education and training to people with low vision. For example, a specialist may perform a home assessment to identify ways to adapt or modify a home to be more suitable for someone with low vision. This could include furniture positioning, room arrangement, lighting, and more to improve safety, efficiency, and functioning. 
 
Vision rehabilitation also teaches people with low vision how to use vision aids and complete daily activities, such as cooking, doing laundry, and putting away groceries. Mobility training, such as taking public transportation may also be included as part of a vision rehabilitation program.
 
Specialists are also a good source of information on local services and might recommend specific devices based on individual needs. If you are looking for a vision rehabilitation program in your area for you or a loved one, contact your or your loved one’s eye doctor or ophthalmologist for recommendations and a referral.
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Find Useful Low Vision Aids

Low vision aids can help people with low vision maintain their independence and make doing certain tasks easier, including:

• Talking products: Talking products, such as watches, phones, and blood pressure monitors can make doing everyday tasks easier. Computers that read aloud or magnify the screen are also an option for people with low vision.
• Magnifying spectacles and other magnifiers: Magnifying spectacles are used for reading and doing other activities that require up-close vision. The spectacles are worn like glasses, which keeps your hands free. Other types of magnifiers are also available, such as stand magnifiers.

• Large print formatted books: Large printed formatted books are available for people who have low vision. E-readers with adjustable font size are also options for people with vision loss.

 
Speak with your eye doctor and vision rehabilitation specialist about appropriate low vision aids for your loved one. You can also visit a medical supply store or search online for more options that could be right for you or your loved one.
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Organize Home for Safety, Functionality & Efficiency​

If you have low vision, there are things you can do to make navigating your home safer and less challenging. Sometimes even a small change can make a big difference. Consider the following tips:

• Keep your home organized: Keeping your home tidy and neat makes it easier to find things, as well as safer. Organizing groups of similar clothes together in a closet or drawer can make coordinating an outfit quicker and easier. Placing keys and wallet in the same spot can make them easier to locate. Keeping things off of the ground, such as clothes or pet toys, can minimize tripping and slipping risks.  
• Eliminate hazards: Look for any potential hazards that may be lurking and address them before they cause a problem. For example, you can decrease tripping hazards by taping down electrical cords and area rugs, keeping kitchen chairs pushed in under the table, using non-skid products to clean floors, and marking the edges of steps with colored tape to create a contrast.
• Reduce glare: Although it is helpful to have your home brightly lit, glare from a lamp or the sun can make it more difficult for someone with low vision to see. Both indoor lighting and the sun can cause glare. When indoors, adjust lights and shades to avoid glare. Mini-blinds can be useful since they allow for easy adjustment of sunlight. When outside, sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat can block or minimize glare.
• Create color contrast: Creating a color contrast between items around your home helps objects stand out and makes them easier to see. For example, place light-colored dishes against a dark tablecloth.

• Use tactile stickers: Applying tactile stickers may make using devices and appliances, such as toasters, microwaves, and coffee pots easier. The stickers are shaped and placed on various appliances to identify the function of specific buttons.

 
These are a number of suggestions you can consider for organizing your home in a safe and effective way. When it comes to making your home safer, skies the limit. Consider your spaces, the things you have in those spaces, and how you or your loved one use those spaces and things, and get creative. Invite family members over to help think of options and problem solve. Even consider making it a game of how you can make your home environment as safe and functional as possible to make it more fun.
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General Coping Suggestions for People with Low Vision

Receiving a diagnosis of low vision can come with lots of emotions, from sadness and disbelieve to overwhelm and despair, especially at first. Learning as much as possible about low vision, taking control of health and an active role in treatment, and finding ways to still do beloved activities can help. In particular, learning about your particular condition and how it can be treated is critical. Depending on the cause of your vision loss, treatment may be available to help you preserve and maintain the vision you have.
 
It’s also vital to seek support and remain active. According to research in the journal Ophthalmology, published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, people with irreversible vision loss are at an increased risk of developing mental health issues, such as depression. Having a strong support system and staying engaged in activities you enjoy can help improve your quality of life and wellbeing.

To learn more about low vision, please watch the following video: 

View Video

While having low vision presents new challenges, it does not mean you have to give up all of the activities you enjoy. Your ophthalmologist is a great source of information on ways to adapt to low vision and devices that may be helpful.
 
If you have any questions about low vision or you would like to schedule an appointment with one of our ophthalmologists, please call our office at 508-746-8600. We are here to help in any way we can. 
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That covers our discussion of tips for coping with low vision. Please check back soon for our last post in our AMD & Low Vision Awareness Month series, as we cover ‘Misconceptions about AMD & Low Vision’.