Low Vision

Low vision is vision loss that you can’t correct with glasses, contacts or surgery. For those affected, it’s a barrier to living a full life.

When we can’t see well, everything from mundane tasks (driving, cooking) to favorite hobbies (reading, knitting) can be a challenge. The Low Vision Clinic at Emory Eye Center offers hope.

We help people of all ages, including children with hereditary vision loss and older people who want to remain independent, find solutions. We are committed to helping you meet your vision goals, so you can return to doing what you enjoy.

he Low Vision Clinic at Emory Eye Center is one of a few sites in the United States developing the most progressive vision-assisting devices.

Our optometrists evaluate low vision treatments that may help patients—many legally blind—see to drive a car, read a newspaper, recognize faces and more.

Many types of vision loss are symptoms of low vision. These include problems seeing:

• In front of you (central vision loss)
• Out the sides of your eyes (peripheral vision loss)
• At night (night vision loss)
• Distance between objects (depth perception loss)

Low vision affects people of all ages for a variety of reasons. Some common causes are:

• Cataracts
• Detached retina
• Genetic eye disease (retinitis pigmentosa)
• Glaucoma
• Gradual vision loss (macular degeneration)
• Stroke

Your low vision diagnosis starts with a complete eye exam. Your doctor will ask questions about your symptoms and medical history. Then they’ll use tests to check your vision. These may include:

• Diagnostic photography (taking pictures of the eye)
• Electrophysiology (looking at electrical patterns in the eye)
• Fluorescein angiography (using dye and cameras to check blood flow in the eye)
• Genetic testing
• Ultrasound/advanced echography (using sound waves to make an image of the eye)
• Visual field testing (checking peripheral vision)

These tests help us understand your vision and how much you can see. Then, your doctor will make a diagnosis and work with you on how to help you see better.