February is designated as Low Vision Awareness Month, an initiative led by organizations such as Prevent Blindness and the National Eye Institute to educate the public on visual impairments that persist despite glasses, contact lenses, medication, or surgery.
Low vision affects daily tasks such as reading, driving, and recognizing faces, but vision rehabilitation can help individuals adapt and maintain independence.
As the U.S. population ages, visual impairment cases are increasing, primarily due to conditions like age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Early detection through regular eye exams can slow progression in many cases, preserving remaining sight and reducing the impact on quality of life.
The Lighthouse Guild reports that most affected people are 65 or older.
The Glaucoma Research Foundation states that 4.2 million Americans aged 40 and older are visually impaired, with 3 million experiencing low vision, and projects these figures to rise to 7.2 million visually impaired individuals, including 5 million with low vision, by 2030.
In Texas, the challenge is pronounced among seniors. A report from the Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities states that 9.7% of Texans aged 65 and older, totaling 421,895 individuals, report severe vision impairment or blindness, with higher rates in rural areas like the Rio Grande Valley.
The state’s older population, exceeding 4 million, is expected to grow by 118% by 2050, potentially increasing vision loss cases to 919,730 without expanded interventions.
Common causes of low vision include AMD, which affects the macula and leads to central vision loss, according to Prevent Blindness. Dry AMD involves drusen deposits beneath the retina and progresses slowly, whereas wet AMD causes rapid loss due to leaking blood vessels.
Other causes include glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and cataracts, according to the National Eye Institute.
Among younger people, inherited conditions, infections, or trauma can contribute.
Resources are available to support those with low vision. Prevent Blindness offers the free AMD GuideMe app at https://lowvision.preventblindness.org/guideme-apps/, fact sheets in English and Spanish, and videos such as “Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Low Vision” featuring W. Lloyd Clark, MD. The Living Well With Low Vision program at https://lowvision.preventblindness.org/ provides self-help guides and clinical trial information, funded by grants from Amgen, EyePoint, Inc., and Novartis.
“I encourage anyone with low vision to seek guidance about vision rehabilitation from a low vision specialist,” said Paul A. Sieving, MD, PhD, former director of the National Eye Institute.
Mark Wilkinson, OD, a low vision specialist at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, added, “A vision rehabilitation plan helps people reach their true visual potential when nothing more can be done from a medical or surgical standpoint.”
Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness, stated, “As our population ages, the number of individuals impacted by AMD continues to grow. Many will face difficulties doing the things we sometimes take for granted, such as reading, seeing faces, and driving.”
