OBJECTIVE To analyze data on the pediatric population attending the Ophthalmologic Clinic's Low Vision Service at the São Paulo University Medical School. METHODS Low vision ophthalmologic assessment, from April 1998 to December 2003, of 385 children and adolescents with mean age of 7 years; 51.7% males and 48.3% females. The main data analyzed were age, diagnosis, anatomic site of the ocular...

BACKGROUND This paper reports population-based data on the prevalence and causes of visual impairment among children and adults in Botucatu, Brazil. METHODS A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted involving a random start point and then systematic sampling of an urban Brazilian population in the city of Botucatu. There were approximately 3,300 individuals aged 1 to 91 years who...

AIMS To substantiate the claim that low vision aids reduce the degree of disability associated with visual impairment. METHODS An observational study of vision, ocular pathology, age, sex, and reading ability in new referrals to a low vision clinic. Reading ability was assessed both with the patients' own spectacles and with an appropriate low vision aid. RESULTS The reading performance and...

UNLABELLED Many authors have discussed the effects of visual stimulations on visual functions, but there is no research about the effects on using vision in everyday activities (i.e. functional vision). Children with perinatal brain damage can develop cerebral visual impairment with preserved visual functions (e.g. visual acuity, contrast sensitivity) but poor functional vision. OBJECTIVE Our...

BACKGROUND This study assessed the barriers to sight impairment certification in the East London Borough of Tower Hamlets amongst patients attending the Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Service (DRSS). METHODS All patients who attended DRSS between 1stApril 2009 and 31st of March 2010 and whose recorded best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at DRSS fulfilled the requirements for sight impairment ...

BACKGROUND Vision impairment, resulting in vision difficulties, is a leading cause of disability, and hence one of the key barriers for people to access education and employment, which may force them into poverty. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of self-reported vision difficulties as an indicator of vision impairment in economically disadvantaged region...

The aim of this study was to investigate the level of vision impairment (VI) that would reduce performance in shooting; to guide development of entry criteria to visually impaired (VI) shooting. Nineteen international-level shooters without VI took part in the study. Participants shot an air rifle, while standing, toward a regulation target placed at the end of a 10 m shooting range. Cambridge ...

This prospective descriptive correlational study investigated an often overlooked clinical condition in older adults, sensory impairment. The study specifi cally addressed vision and hearing impairment in hospitalised older adults who had sustained a hip fracture. Sensory impairments affect older adults’ ability to interact with and navigate safely in their environment, as demonstrated by the h...

PURPOSE To assess visual functioning and vision-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in an older, community-dwelling-based population subsample, using the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25). METHODS Three-quarters (76%, n = 892) of Extension Blue Mountains Eye Study participants (aged > or = 50 years, mean 60.8 years) completed the self-admini...

Low vision may be defined as any chronic form of vision impairment, not correctable by glasses or contact lenses, that adversely affects everyday function. Visual accessibility refers to factors that make an environment, device, or display usable by vision. In this article, I discuss the concept of visual accessibility with special reference to low vision. What role can vision science play in e...