Vision Rehabilitation for Low Vision Problems - Does It Help?

Problems in eyesight or low vision can significantly impact the quality of life, making it difficult to perform everyday tasks. The onset of potential eye conditions can also affect many other aspects of overall well-being, which only emphasizes the importance of maintaining good eye care.

Treatments for such hassles in the form of vision rehabilitation offered by eye doctors are known for offering promising results, but are they for you?

What is Low Vision?

It refers to a vision loss that cannot be corrected by wearing eyewear or using medical or surgical treatments. Such vision problems require the patient to adjust their living conditions according to their eyesight or eye condition under the supervision of an eye doctor. Commonly, these vision impairments affect daily activities like reading, driving, or recognizing faces.

However, there is not just one type of low vision, and many of them can be helped with the use of Vision Rehabilitation. Read below to learn more about the types of low vision problems and methods to mitigate their challenges.

Types of Low Vision

• Low Central Vision: A person may experience a blind spot or unclear sight in the center of their visual field. This impairment makes seeing details difficult in objects directly at the front, often caused by macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy.
• Loss of Peripheral Vision: It is usually caused by glaucoma, limiting the ability to see objects outside the center of the field of vision (tunnel vision). Persons suffering from it can have difficulties in detecting movement or obstacles in peripheral vision, impacting their mobility and safety.

• Blurred Vision: In this condition, objects appear out of focus across any distance, affecting near and far sight equally. Various conditions can cause it, including corneal problems or cataracts.

• Contrast Sensitivity: People with sensitivity to contrast find it challenging to distinguish objects from their backgrounds and vice versa. In dim lighting or complex backgrounds, it is a severe impairment.

• Light Sensitivity: Patients with glare or light sensitivity experience discomfort or difficulty seeing in bright conditions, which overwhelms their vision. It is generally caused by corneal issues or cataracts.

• Nyctalopia (Night Blindness): When a person has difficulty navigating in dark environments, they may be susceptible to night blindness - often caused by retinitis pigmentosa or other retinal disorders.

• Hazy Vision: A fogginess or cloudiness is noticed in the field of vision, which occurs either due to cataracts or ocular conditions.

• Hemianopsia: A person experiencing it will have a loss of half of the visual field in one or both eyes, resulting from a tumour, stroke, or brain injury.

Each of the conditions mentioned above makes it comparatively challenging to carry on with daily life activities, including something as simple as getting along with people. Hence, an eye doctor will recommend vision rehabilitation to patients suffering from such low vision problems.

What is Vision Rehabilitation?

Living with vision conditions that cannot be controlled or treated can easily lead to also experiencing extreme emotions like anger and frustration. Here, vision rehabilitation offered by trained eye doctors near you in Toronto can assist with working through these feelings.

Through developing personalized strategies that enable a person to adapt to visual impairment(s), vision rehabilitation aims to help individuals maintain quality of life. Eye doctors of optometry and ophthalmologists and an orientation and mobility specialist will assist the individual with managing and learning daily living skills and other activities.

So, please visit an eye doctor near you to get vision rehabilitation if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Frequent Headaches
• Blurred Vision
• Seeing Double or Partially
• Night Vision Problems
• Eye Pain or Redness
• Flashing Lights or Floaters
• Dry Eyes or Eye Pressure
• Watery Eyes
• General Vision Discomfort
• Light Sensitivity

How Does Vision Rehabilitation Help Myopia, Dry Eyes, & Child Vision Care?

While low vision problems can be severe, they can also be non-life-threatening, like in the case of myopia or frequent dry eyes. In such cases, starting vision rehabilitation immediately after diagnosis can make a significant difference in coping with the challenges.

Children suffering from low vision impairments are also focused when offering vision rehabilitation, as the challenges they experience can affect every aspect of their learning and development. Hence, the following eye conditions are also targeted under vision rehabilitation.

Vision Rehabilitation for Myopia or Hyperopia

• Myopia Control Lenses: Such glasses can reduce myopia progression by 60% and can be obtained in multifocal designs. They help to prevent further elongation of the eyeball or with adjusting how light focuses on the retina.

• Orthokeratology (Ortho-K): It requires wearing specialized contact lenses overnight that function to temporarily reduce the cornea. It is known for reducing axial growth by 30% to 60%.
• Atropine Eye Drops: These are specially developed eye drops that help control myopia progression by more than 70% in standard cases.
• Lifestyle Adjustments: Individuals are trained to enjoy outdoor activities while limiting near-sight tasks to develop confidence and limit myopia progression.

Vision Rehabilitation for Dry Eyes

• Artificial Tears: It is a safe and neutral chemical compound (lubricant) designed to help relieve dry eye symptoms by providing moisture to the eyes.

• Punctal Plugs: Tear ducts are embedded with these tiny devices to maintain eye moisture and prevent tears from drying away too quickly.

• Therapeutic Contact Lenses: They are particularly made to retain moisture on the eye surface but may require extra care to use daily.

• Environmental Improvements: Incorporating the use of humidifiers and avoiding direct airflow from AC units or fans and heaters are common recommendations for preventing dry eyes.

Vision Rehabilitation for Children

• Regular Eye Exams: Detection of conditions like lazy eye (amblyopia) or cross eyes (strabismus), myopia, etc., at first signs can help develop effective treatments to promote better development.
• Vision Therapy: Creating personalized programs aimed at enhancing visual skills for learning and daily activities can improve brain-eye coordination. Children suffering from focusing problems due to myopia can benefit from this therapy greatly.

• Educational Support: Providing resources to children struggling with vision challenges can assist in improving their academic performance and overall well-being.

Get Immediate Vision Rehabilitation From Eye Doctors Near You

The nearest eye care center in Toronto with qualified and experienced eye doctors can help you learn more about your vision health. Book an eye doctor appointment today at 360 Eye Care in Toronto to get comprehensive optometric treatments, advanced diagnostics, and a personal consultation on vision rehabilitation.