Do You Have Low Vision? Our Eye Care Professional in Phoenix, AZ Can Help You Figure It Out
You may joke that your vision is really poor. Maybe, you say that you're as blind as a bat. However, most people don't have a severe enough vision deficit that classifies as low vision. At our eye care clinic, Eye Doctors of Arizona, serving Phoenix, AZ and the nearby region, we strive to optimize vision in people who have a normal deficit or low vision and every vision deficit in between.
About Low Vision
Low vision is a severe eyesight issue that an optometrist can't correct with eyewear or an eye surgeon can fix with surgery. Those who have low vision may be partially sighted or legally blind. Complete blindness doesn't classify as low vision since you don’t have any vision if you're completely blind.
Those who have vision between 20/40 and 20/200 are considered moderately vision impaired. Individuals who are legally blind have vision that is 20/200 or less in their better eye. Other issues that categorize as low vision include:
- A blind spot in your central vision
- Absence of peripheral vision
- Severely limited night vision
- Extreme blur or haze
Causes of Low Vision
Age is a common cause of low vision and so are eye problems, such as macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma. Sometimes, optic neuropathy is the reason for your vision deficit. Diabetes can contribute to eye damage and so can cancer in your eye. A trauma, stroke, or brain injury can affect your vision as well.
Managing Low Vision
The first step to managing your low vision is to assess your eyes through a comprehensive eye exam. For instance, our eye doctor will ask you to read lines of letters as you look through a specialized lens. During your vision analysis, our eye doctor will check your vision for astigmatism, too.
Once our eye care specialist determines your vision, you'll receive an eye health screening. During this portion of your exam, our doctor may look into your eyes using a slit-lamp test. We may perform other testing as well to identify eye conditions that could be affecting your vision.
Sometimes, it's possible to correct your vision deficit, and we'll discuss your options. However, for those who have a vision problem that's not correctable, we offer vision therapy to exercise your eyes and prevent further vision loss or improve the remaining vision a person has. The treatment could also include lifestyle advice to help you adapt to living with low vision better.