When someone has low vision

As clinicians, being faced with a patient whose vision we cannot improve any further can make us feel like a failure. However, there are many ways to help such a person with low vision. Figure 1 shows the difficulties someone is likely to have, based on their distance visual acuity, and what support they may be able to benefit from. These include optical devices, non-optical devices, advice on environmental modifications, and referral to rehabilitation and (special) educational services. In this article, we will show you how to assess a person with low vision and find out what it is they really want to be able to do. We will then outline the interventions that are possible, and give some guidelines.