Low vision is a loss of vision that cannot be corrected with glasses, contact lenses, medication, or surgery. It can be caused by macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, or many other eye diseases.

If you have low vision, you may have difficulty with everyday tasks such as reading a clock, recognizing faces across a room or watching television. While there may not be a way to reverse the vision loss, there are many ways to make it easier to handle the tasks you face on a daily basis. Hand-held and stand magnifiers help make print larger and easier to see. You can get playing cards with extra-large numbers and symbols, and guides that make it easier to fill out checks.

If you like hi-tech gadgets, many tablet devices let you magnify the print on websites so you can still surf the internet. There are also dozens of 'talking' devices, including alarm clocks, thermometers, and scales. There are special telescopic glasses to help patients watch TV, read, use the computer, and play cards. Special glasses called bioptic telescopes have allowed some of our low vision patients regain their ability to drive.

The Eye Center of Central Georgia works with Dr. Brian Saunders, an optometrist who specializes in low vision. He can show you how many of these devices work, and help you determine what sort of aids will make your day-to-day tasks easier to manage. Having low vision does not mean that you have to give up all the things you like to do. If you think that you have low vision, talk to your ophthalmologist and find out what options are available.