| For a sighted person, the loss of vision represents | | | | at by people with 20/20 vision to determine |
| much more than a physical impairment. Macular | | | | eligibility for gov. services. |
| Degeneration and other low vision conditions have | | | | A fact in the field of visual impairment is that a |
| contributed to a growing population of people | | | | fully sighted person gets 80 percent of his or her |
| relearning how to live. It means a loss of their | | | | information about the world visually. In the case |
| accustomed independence: the end of driving to | | | | of a low vision person, he or she is still receiving a |
| work, reading the local newspaper, even simple | | | | vast majority of their sensory input by visual |
| pleasures like playing catch. Macular degeneration | | | | means. The point at which 80% becomes 50% or |
| products and other low vision magnifiers have | | | | 5% is not something that is easily determined. |
| gave way to life, but not enough. Through a new | | | | Attempts to state a "percentage" of vision loss |
| center based at Wayne State University, a | | | | frequently fail to take into account factors other |
| multidisciplinary team of San Diego-area | | | | than visual acuity. In my opinion, if an individual |
| researchers and clinicians has begun work they | | | | demonstrates good visual functioning, this |
| hope will return a level of autonomy to the | | | | individual's vision should be given the "benefit of |
| growing number of men and women who are | | | | the doubt" when considering educational and |
| facing the limitations of life without sight. | | | | rehabilitation programming. Certainly it does not |
| To put it plainly, "Low vision is not no vision." The | | | | deserve to be ignored as if it were of no |
| definition of blindness is a visual acuity of 20/200 | | | | importance. |
| in the best eye with best correction or a visual | | | | Low vision products help. The most common |
| field of 20 degrees or less. While this definition | | | | video magnifier for reading is called a Desktop |
| sounds precise, it is often subjective. An eye | | | | Video Magnifier. These low vision aids feature a |
| specialist who uses an eye chart that does not | | | | camera mounted over a tray on which the |
| measure acuities between 20/100 and 20/200 | | | | material to be magnified is placed. Some have a |
| may give "the benefit of the doubt" and declare | | | | built-in monitor and are known as "stand-alone" |
| the patient "legally blind" in order to give the | | | | magnifiers. Others are designed to connect to a |
| person access to more services. Thus, a person | | | | television or personal computer. |
| who reads regular print with no aids risks being | | | | How to get more information - Ask your Eye MD |
| placed in the same category with people who | | | | for a Low vision Specialist. Low vision specialists |
| have a far lesser degree of visual functioning. | | | | are licensed doctors of optometry who are |
| Why, in an environment where time is measured | | | | trained in the examination and management of |
| in milliseconds and gasoline sales are measured in | | | | patients with visual impairments. A few of them |
| thousandths of a gallon, do we still consider | | | | are ophthalmologists with additional training in low |
| "counts fingers" a viable visual measurement? | | | | vision care. Their services do not offer a cure for |
| Why do we continue to cling to an out-of-date | | | | the causes of low vision, but they do help the |
| standard? Unfortunately, mistakes and | | | | patient learn how to utilize their remaining vision to |
| misunderstandings still occur. The definition of | | | | its fullest potential. Low vision care does not |
| "legal blindness" is not even the same in all | | | | replace the possible need for other treatments |
| countries. It is simply a random designation arrived | | | | such as laser, medication, and surgery. |