By Paul Cooper

Published in The Daily Independent, Ridgecrest, California
Wednesday, June 7, 2006 3:54 PM CDT

Ask any person today which of their “senses” they would rather not lose and most would reply “vision.” This is not without justification. Surveys completed by various national organizations indicate that one in six adults 45 years of age or older report some form of vision impairment, and this ratio greatly increases with age. Interestingly enough, women and non-whites comprise a majority of the “low vision” population - women, partly because they live longer than men, and non-whites, because of the greater incidences of certain disease processes, such as diabetes.

So, what exactly is low vision? Low vision could be considered any visual impairment that cannot be corrected by medical or surgical intervention and is severe enough to interfere with performance of activities of daily living. This should not be confused with blindness, which involves no light perception and leaves the person without usable vision. You may have heard the term “legal blindness,” which is a term used mostly by the federal government to identify conditions that qualify persons for certain government services and benefits and deals with vision loss ranging from severe to total blindness.

Low vision develops because of eye disease and health conditions such as macular degeneration, cataract, glaucoma, and diabetes. Twenty years after the onset of diabetes, up to 99 percent of those with Type 1 diabetes and 60 percent of those with Type 2 diabetes will have developed visual loss to some degree. Low vision may also be attributed to eye injuries or birth defects. Despite all this many people can make the most of the vision they have.

Falls in the elderly population are a concern and loss of vision is sometimes an oversight. We may think it was a “sudden loss of balance” or a “poorly placed rug” that tripped up grandma when in actual fact her deteriorating vision was to blame, or in the very least a dirty pair of glasses. Besides picking up the rug, you could improve the lighting which would also help with writing and reading tasks. A magnifier would help with reading, especially food labels, which in turn may help control her diet. A closed circuit television, enlarging the print on letters, would allow her to read her letters from her grandchildren. Special checks with large print and raised lettering help her pay her bills on time and special needles allow her to continue her favorite activity - sewing. Talking clocks that tell the time with a press of a button would keep her medications on schedule. These are just some examples of the many ways in which an individual could work within the confines of their low vision.

Besides licensed professionals, friends and family of a person with low vision may also be of assistance by providing help and support. You can do this by helping to adjust the home or workplace to keep it safe and functional, and assisting with access to community resources. Understand that low vision may be attributed to a progressive condition and that poor vision may not only be present now, but likely to deteriorate further in the future.

People will often make arrangements for once or twice yearly medical exams, yet give no consideration to an annual eye examination. If you are experiencing changes to your vision, act now! If not, go anyway because some changes may be small and have a relatively minor impact on your daily life, but may point to bigger problems in the future. Start with the eye exam and if need be make arrangements to see a rehabilitation professional.

Paul Cooper, OTR/L, is the Rehabilitation Services Manager at Ridgecrest Regional Hospital. He can be reached at 499-3630. Cooper has been a Ridgecrest resident since 1998 and is a graduate of the University of Sydney, Sydney Australia.


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