For some people glasses alone do not give the vision needed to comfortably read or perform daily tasks.

For these people low vision aids can help to boost their vision. 

There are many eye conditions that can cause low vision. Some examples of these conditions are age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and maculopathy, retinitis pigmentosa and albinism. These conditions affect the eye in different ways, therefore it is important that the impact is fully understood in order to utilise the best possible vision available.

During a regular eye examination we might suggest to patients that some low vision aids would be useful and suggest a further appointment to demonstrate some of these aids. 

At a low vision test it can be useful to bring with you an example of the text you are struggling with as we can use this to demonstrate the different low vision aids we have on offer. For example, if a patient struggles with reading the cooking instruction on food packaging we would be able to try different magnifying glasses of varying strengths until the most suitable one is selected. Although the low vision aids can be very useful, we would also discuss other practical ideas for the home which may make daily tasks less difficult such as lighting, use of colour codes and tactile cues. 

The Macclesfield Eye Society or Iris Centre are great local low vision services in our area.