| Living a quality life while suffering the effects of | | | | affected, sensitivity to bright light, night blindness, |
| low vision is challenging to all those who have | | | | the seeing of shadows or dull patches, and |
| experienced the condition. Whether your favourite | | | | experiences of reduced vision and colour |
| past time of reading a good book or the morning | | | | perception. |
| newspaper has become demanding, work tasks | | | | If you find that you are experiencing any of |
| are becoming increasingly difficult, or you feel that | | | | these symptoms an appointment with an |
| driving has become an unsafe adventure for | | | | optometrist should be made immediately. This is |
| yourself and other road users, there are simple | | | | not only to address the vision issue at hand, but |
| and effective ways to alleviate and cure low | | | | to prevent any further degradation of the |
| vision conditions, allowing you to get on with living | | | | condition of the eye. When these conditions are |
| your life the way you want. Vision loss can be | | | | left untreated, the result is often permanent eye |
| frustrating and traumatic. | | | | damage. An optometrist will take you through the |
| The term 'low vision' refers to a condition where | | | | process of an eye examination, which includes |
| an individual suffers from a significant visual | | | | noting a detailed case history, finding out the |
| impairment caused by a variety of factors which | | | | exact ailments you are suffering from and |
| include macula degeneration, eye trauma, retinitis | | | | recommending suitable and alternative solutions to |
| pigmentosa, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, retinal | | | | address the specific vision issues. Any equipment, |
| detachment or hereditary and birth defects. | | | | such as reading or bifocal glasses, contact lenses |
| As the symptoms of low vision are not universal, | | | | or other reading devices that may be |
| patients will often complain of numerous vision | | | | recommended will be thoroughly explained in |
| ailments and issues which must be further | | | | terms of their use, care and maintenance. |
| investigated by a qualified optometrist to ascertain | | | | If the optometrist ascertains that there is a |
| the particular impairment that the individual is | | | | condition which cannot be suitably resolved with |
| suffering from, as well as the best course of | | | | corrective eyewear or other low vision aids, |
| action to correct the impairment. However, there | | | | suggestions will be made for other options, |
| are certain symptoms that people should be wary | | | | including medical treatment or corrective surgery. |
| of, and if experiencing any of these, should | | | | What is of most importance is to recognise any |
| consult with an optometrist to halt the further | | | | symptoms at an early stage and consult with an |
| decline of vision. These symptoms can include a | | | | experienced optometrist immediately. If detected |
| blurring or loss of vision in the central vision zone, | | | | early, the return to a quality of life experienced |
| tunnel vision where the central vision is not | | | | with great vision is a simple appointment away. |
| impaired but the individuals peripheral vision is | | | | |