Spouse Wearing Mismatched Clothes? It May Not be Bad Fashion Sense; Instead Low Vision May be the Cause.

Features & Health/Medical Writers

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 27, 2003

February is LOW VISION Awareness Month

Wearing clothes that don't match, not being able to hit the glass when you pour milk, and not being able to see a car in the street are not amusing quirks, they could be warning signs of low vision. More than 14 million Americans have low vision caused by serious ocular conditions like macular degeneration or glaucoma, or medical conditions like diabetes or brain tumors.

"People with low vision do not see what someone with normal vision sees. Often black spots, cloudiness, and blurring affects vision," says Dr. Michael Perez, president of the Minnesota Optometric Association. "Today we have many treatment options to help those suffering from low vision, including various types of magnifiers, mini-telescopes and electro-optical aids."

According to the American Optometric Association, the two general classifications of low vision are being partially sighted (visual acuity with conventional prescription lenses is still between 20/70 and 20/200), and being legally blind (visual acuity that cannot be corrected to better than 20/200 with conventional lenses and/or the patient has a restricted field of vision less that 20 degrees wide).

If you or someone you love exhibits the following, it may indicate low vision.

-- Changes in the way a person reads, watches television, drives or walks, or if the person stops doing any of these activities.

-- Difficulty identifying faces or objects, or locating personal objects in a familiar setting.

-- Difficulty reading or performing other tasks with ordinary lighting.

-- Holding reading materials close to the face or at an angle.

-- Difficulty getting food onto a fork or pouring liquids into a cup without spilling.

-- Wearing clothing in unusual color combinations or difficulty recognizing colors.

-- Difficulty writing on the line or writing clearly.

-- More pronounced hearing loss as visual cues are lost.

More specific low vision symptoms include:

-- Loss of Central Vision - your view is blurred or blocked, but

side (peripheral) vision remains intact. This makes it

difficult to read or recognize faces and most details in the

distance. Mobility, however, is usually unaffected because

side vision remains intact.

-- Loss of Side Vision - typified by an inability to distinguish

anything to one side or both sides, or anything directly above

and/or below eye level. Central vision remains, however,

making it possible to see what is directly ahead. Typically,

loss of side vision affects mobility and slows reading speed

because the person sees only a few words at a time. Sometimes

referred to as "tunnel vision."

-- Blurred Vision - objects both near and far appear out of

focus, even with the best conventional eyeglass correction

possible and even when the target is very large.

-- Generalized Haze - the sensation of a film or glare that may

extend over the entire viewing field and may produce various

patterns or areas of relatively severe vision loss.

-- Extreme Light Sensitivity - exists when standard levels of

illumination overwhelm the visual system, producing a washed

out image and glare disability. People with extreme light

sensitivity may actually suffer pain or discomfort from

relatively normal levels of illumination.

-- Night Blindness - inability to see outside at night under

starlight or moonlight, or in dimly lighted interior areas

such as movie theaters or restaurants.

If you experience any of these symptoms, make an appointment for a comprehensive eye exam with your family eye doctor immediately.

For more information on eye health visit the Minnesota Optometric Association website at www.MnEyeDocs.org. Additional information on causes and treatments below.

Low Vision: Causes and Treatments

Causes

Few people are totally without sight due to many advances in low vision therapy. Some causes of low vision include:

-- Macular Degeneration - A disorder that affects the retina, the

light sensitive lining at the back of the eye where images are

focused. The macula--the area on the retina responsible for

sharp central vision--deteriorates, gradually causing blurred

vision, difficulty reading, and finally, a blind spot in the

central area of vision. This is known as the "dry" form of

macular degeneration, is age-related, and the leading cause of

blindness in people over 50, with some 13 million of the U.S.

population affected. The exact cause is unknown, but may be

related to smoking, and possibly long-term exposure to high

levels of the sun's ultraviolet radiation and blue light. More

rapid and severe vision loss comes from the "wet" form, when

abnormal blood vessels develop under the macula and leak fluid

and blood. There are also juvenile forms which are hereditary.

-- Diabetic Retinopathy - Diabetes can cause blood vessels that

nourish the retina to leak, develop brush-like branches or

enlarge. This can interfere with vision and, over time, may

destroy the retina. Laser procedures and surgical treatments

are used to reduce its progression. Retinitis Pigmentosa -

Gradually destroys night vision, severely reduces side vision,

and may result in total blindness. An inherited disease, it

usually produces its first symptom--night blindness--in

childhood or adolescence.

-- Retrolental Fibroplasia (retinopathy of prematurity) - Occurs

in infants born prematurely and, in some cases, is caused by

high oxygen levels in incubators during the first 10 days of

life.

-- Retinal Detachment - Can result in total blindness in the

detached area of the affected eye. It involves the retina

separating from its underlying layer. Causes are holes in the

retina, eye trauma, infection, blood vessel disturbance or a

tumor. Through early diagnosis, most detached retinas can be

surgically re-attached with partial restoration of vision.

-- Cataracts - A clouding of part or all of the lens inside the

eye. This prevents light from reaching the retina at the back

of the eye, resulting in a generalized loss of vision. Causes

are aging, long-term exposure to ultraviolet radiation,

injury, disease and inherited disorders. If the eye is

healthy, the cataract can be surgically removed and vision

restored, usually with intraocular lens implants. Cataract

surgery has a high success rate but a small number of those

for whom it is not successful will require low vision care.

-- Glaucoma - The internal pressure in the eye builds up because

of problems with the flow or drainage of fluid within the eye,

damaging the optic nerve and causing partial or total loss of

sight. There are no early symptoms in the most common form,

but the first signs of damage are side vision defects. Early

diagnosis and treatment with drugs or sometimes surgery can

minimize vision loss.

-- Other causes - Vision can also be lost or damaged as a result

of head injuries, brain damage and strokes.

Treatments

Today, there is a wide variety of optical devices and adaptive products available to help people with low vision live and/or work more productively and safely. Most people can be helped with one or more of them. Unfortunately, only about 20-25 percent of those who could benefit have been seen by a family eye doctor and had treatment options, including low vision devices, prescribed specifically for them. The more commonly prescribed devices are:

-- Spectacle-mounted magnifiers - A magnifying lens is mounted in

the individual's spectacles or on a special headband. This

allows use of both hands to complete the close-up task, such

as reading.

-- Spectacle-mounted telescopes - These miniature telescopes are

useful for seeing longer distances, such as across the room to

watch television, and can also be modified for near (reading)

tasks.

-- Hand-held and stand magnifiers - Serve as supplementary aids.

They are convenient for reading such things as price tags,

labels, and instrument dials. Both types can be equipped with

lights.

-- Electro-optical aids - Closed-circuit television (also called

CCTVs) enlarge reading material on a video screen. Some are

portable, while some can be connected to a computer. The user

can adjust the image brightness, size, contrast and background

illumination.

In addition, there are many other products to help those with low vision, such as large-type books, magazines, and newspapers, books-on-tape, talking wristwatches, self-threading needles, and more.

For more information on eye health visit www.MNEyeDocs.org.

The Minnesota Optometric Association has 525 member doctors of optometry around the state. The MOA is committed to furthering awareness of optometrists as primary eye care or family eye doctors and to bringing about change that positively impacts the MOA member doctors and their patients.

For more information, or to set up an interview, please call Jenni Dow at [phone], Joan Knight at [phone] or Jim Meffert-Nelson, executive director of the Minnesota Optometric Association, at [phone] or [phone].