What is low vision?

Low vision means having a level of vision where you need more than just glasses or contact lenses to see well enough to read or do everyday tasks. Your central or side vision, or both, may be reduced. Your vision may not be able to be corrected with surgery, but you can still see something. And with the help of vision aids you can still stay independent. A person may have low vision as the result of an injury to the eye or one of a number of eye related conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. Some people are also born with low vision.

What are the symptoms? 

The symptoms of low vision depend on the cause of vision loss and where the problem is in the eye.

Symptoms can include:

  • Blank spots, dark spots or wavy lines in the centre of your vision
  • Blurred, hazy or cloudy vision or double vision
  • Loss of side (peripheral) vision

Follow these links to find out more about four very common low vision conditions.

What you should know about AMD2 (Video)
Don't Take Your Vision for Granted: A look at Macular Degeneration (Video)
Age-related Macular Degeneration
Cataracts
Glaucoma
Diabetic Retinopathy
 

Follow this link to find out more about our Low Vision Products.

Low Vision Products