Low vision people are not blind people. Technically their eyesight has varying degree of light sensitivity. So a low vision person is someone who has a reduction in vision that prevents them from doing all the things he or she would like to do.
IS LOW VISION THE SAME AS BLIND?
No! Blindness is total lack of vision. Unfortunately, people often confuse the government term of “legally blind” with “blind.” People who are “legally blind” have some usable vision, and may use their sight unlike a totally blind person. The degree of low vision may vary from person to person with normal sight. We recommend the word “blind” be avoided, except where necessary for legal reasons, then the term “legally blind” may apply.
HOW CAN LOW VISION PEOPLE BE HELPED?
A low vision examination employs special examination techniques. Special lenses, optical aids, or non-optical aids are evaluated for their capacity to improve a patient’s visual performance. Though these lenses or aids may not actually improve a person’s vision, they may allow a low vision patient to use their remaining vision to its fullest capacity. Low vision aids may make things appear larger; they may make thing brighter; or they may improve contrast. By such methods, a low vision patient may become more capable of performing visual tasks.