What causes low vision?

Low vision varies with each individual, and may result from birth defects, injury, aging, or complication from disease. Children as well as adults can be visually impaired, but it is mostly a problem that afflicts seniors. Age-related macular degeneration accounts for almost 45 percent of all cases of low vision.

Is additional help available?

There are many organizations and government agencies that offer assistance and information to individuals with low vision, their families, and caregivers. Services often include counseling, vision rehabilitation, job training and placement, and recreation.

How is quality of life affected with Low Vision?

Low vision can cause difficulty in seeing detailed letters and numbers when reading, recognizing the slope of a curb, steps, or facial features, and distinguishing between similar colors, such as black and blue. Adults who have these problems may have trouble maintaining their independence and completing typical day-to-day activities, whether in their work, home or leisure environments.

It is possible for people with vision impairments to continue to live independent and meaningful lives with the help of an occupational therapist.

Practitioners can help people with low vision to continue living in their own homes and complete daily tasks, such as showering, dressing, cooking, grocery shopping, managing finances, and getting around in the community.

What can an occupational therapist do?

• Evaluate a person's environment at work and at home to determine how it can be altered to make the most out of a person's remaining vision.
  
  
• Help a person identify items used every day that need to "stand out"
  (provide a contrast) by marking them with bright colors so they can be easily found.
  
  
• Increase lighting so objects can be seen easily. In addition to providing extra light to items, occupational therapists also can identify areas that could be dangerous if not well lit, such as stairwells, kitchens, and spaces with area rugs.
  
  
• Reduce clutter in rooms to increase safety by removing items from countertops, tabletops, and floors.
  
  
• Educate a person on how to compensate for vision loss by using other senses, such as touch, hearing, and smell.
  
  
• Recommend and train a person to use assistive devices that can aid in completing daily activities, such as magnifiers, audio equipment, and voice-activated computers.

What can friends and family of a person with low vision do?

• Consult your physician about obtaining a referral to occupational therapy.
  
  
• Stay educated about the person's vision ability.
  
  
• Support a person with low vision in adapting by helping them access community resources, including talking books, audio reader services, and centers for the blind.

What if I have another medical condition that is affecting my independence?

An occupational therapist can also address the challenges an elderly adult with low vision faces if they have a past history of a neurological condition such as stroke or Parkinson’s disease; orthopedic conditions such as a hip fracture or joint replacement; degenerative diseases such osteoarthritis; and diabetes.

These medical conditions, along with vision impairment, can severely affect a person’s independence and safety but with a thorough assessment of a person’s needs and medical conditions, the occupational therapist, together with the client can create an individualized plan to address all aspects of their life affected by both their medical conditions and their visual impairment.

It is occupational therapy’s goal to enable and empower those affected by physical and visual impairments to remain as independent as possible while ensuring the highest level of safety possible.