What is Low Vision?

Low vision is the loss of eyesight which is not correctable with prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses, and this loss of vision is typically due to eye diseases such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy etc.

There may be different degrees of vision loss for people with different eye conditions, based on which The World Health Organization has defined different classifications for low vision i.e.

• Mild vision loss or near-normal vision: 20/30 to 20/60
• Moderate visual impairment or low vision: 20/70 to 20/160
• Severe visual impairment or low vision: 20/200 or worse
• Profound visual impairment, or low vision: 20/500 to 20/1000
• Near-total visual impairment or low vision: Less than 20/1000
• Total visual impairment or blindness: No light perception

Most Common Types of Low Vision Problems

Low vision can interrupt the visual capabilities of anyone who has had an eye injury or an eye disease, but people aged over 45 become potentially vulnerable to develop low vision due to eye conditions like age-related macular degeneration etc.

44 million Americans over the age of 40 are near or farsighted as reported by The New York State Department of Health and whereas Only half of the 93 million US adults at high risk for vision loss visited an eye doctor in the past 12 months reported in The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2020.

Low vision can appear as various form of visual difficulty, some of them include:

• Central Vision Loss
  Central vision loss appears as a loss of sight in the center of your visual field. It may begin as blurred spots which progressively turn into dark or blind spots.
• Tunnel vision
  Tunnel vision is caused by peripheral vision loss in which only the center of your visual field is clearly seen, as if looking through a narrow tunnel.
• Night Blindness
  It characterizes a poor and unclear vision in dimly lit environments or at night.
• Blurred vision
  Everything that you see near or far, may look out-of-focus.
• Hazy Vision
  The image that you see appears to be covered with a haze.

Challenges of Living with Low Vision

Low vision can affect daily activities in various ways, including:

• Difficulty reading text: Reading books, newspapers, or even labels on food products can become a frustrating challenge with low vision. Traditional glasses may not offer enough magnification to see small print clearly, leaving you straining your eyes or holding reading materials uncomfortably close. Microscopic low vision glasses can be a solution, but they often have a narrow field of view, requiring you to constantly move your head to scan across a page.
• Trouble recognizing faces: Low vision, especially when it affects central vision, can make it difficult to see the details that help us recognize faces. Greeting a friend or family member you haven't seen in a while can be an awkward experience if you can't quite make out their features. Standard glasses don't address this issue, and while telescopic glasses can help with distant recognition, they're not ideal for everyday interactions.
• Blurred or hazy vision: The world may appear constantly out of focus or veiled in a haze, making it difficult to perform everyday tasks like navigating stairs, identifying objects at a distance, or even watching television. Traditional glasses may not provide enough clarity, and can even exacerbate blurry vision in some cases.
• Challenges with night vision: Seeing in low light conditions can be especially challenging for people with low vision. Simple activities like walking your dog in the evening or going to a movie can become safety hazards. Regular glasses don't address night vision issues, and some may even have glare-reduction coatings that can further reduce visibility in low-light environments.
• Limited field of view (tunnel vision): Tunnel vision restricts your peripheral vision, making it difficult to see objects to the sides and potentially leading to bumping into things or missing important information in your environment. Traditional glasses don't address tunnel vision, and some telescopic low vision aids can actually narrow your field of view even further.

What are Low Vision Glasses used for?

If your vision impairment is beyond the point of correction with the use of conventional prescription glasses or lenses, your doctor would likely suggest you to use ‘Low Vision Glasses’ which are a type of visual aid that provide magnification properties to overcome your low vision.

The magnification power, field and weight of eyeglasses varies from one user to the other. Most low vision glasses involve complex optics that are designed as per your unique low vision requirements and routine tasks that you want to do using them. For instance, driving and needlework are tasks that have different magnification needs, and would require you to get separate low vision glasses for each such as low vision magnifying reading glasses, low vision glasses for distance viewing, low vision glasses for driving etc. Therefore, a detailed low vision screening is typically done to develop a customized design for you.

What are the types of low vision glasses?

Generally, the main types of low vision glasses include:

• Microscopic eyeglasses
  For performing tasks that require attention to details e.g. reading, needlework etc.
• Telescopic eyeglasses
  For visual clarity in activities such as driving and walking.
• Prismatic eyeglasses
  For well-coordinated vision of both eyes.
• Electronic low vision glasses
  These are typically battery powered such as CCTV low vision aids, which combine different features which are used to assist in a variety of activities.

Is IrisVision Different From Other Low Vision Glasses?

Yes. IrisVision outshines the conventional average low vision eyeglasses in quality and functions.

But, how?

The IrisVision headset, powered by Samsung smartphone, is a holistic solution to a number of low vision problems. It replaces the need for multiple low vision aids as its features are customizable according to your changing requirement as you switch between different tasks. For instance, explore the following features of IrisVision that correspond to various low vision difficulties:

• Coloured Reading Mode
  For reading in dimly lit surroundings, high contrast options are available to ease the process, allowing you to choose the ideal color contrast that works best for you, qualifying IrisVision as the best low vision reading glasses.
• Scene Mode
  This mode counters your tunnel vision as it provides industry leading, 70 degree wide field-of-view, with auto-focus magnification that is ideal for seeing both near and far far objects.
• Bubble View Mode
  Acting as a virtual telescope, you can use the bubble view mode to zoom in on the area of interest while keeping the overall scene in context.
• IrisReader
  A feature which is not available in conventional eyeglasses, is the OCR reader of IrisVision which scans text and reads out loud for you.

IrisVision can take on the following functions:

1: Low Vision Glasses for Legal Blindness

IrisVision is a corrective solution for legal blindness as it has magnification properties as high as ×14. These low vision glasses for the blind empowers them to continue daily life activities with ease and convenience.

2: Low Vision Glasses for Retinitis Pigmentosa and Glaucoma

IrisVision low vision headset has a special feature that compensates for the loss of peripheral vision in Retinitis Pigmentosa and glaucoma. It shrinks your field of view to a smaller area, and lets you move the camera across your visual field allowing you to see better despite your eye condition.

The effects of eye conditions listed above can be mitigated through the use of specialized software lenses such as Bioptic mode that allows you to focus on the specific area without losing the entire field of view serving as the ideal bioptic glasses for low vision.

3: Low Vision Glasses for Macular Degeneration

People suffering from age related macular degeneration lose their central vision. However, IrisVision lets you see the entire scene including the view right in the center of your visual field, by capturing and shrinking the image.

Irisvision is a low vision solution for a number of eye conditions, including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa and others. To know more about our product, and how it can help your low vision condition, head over to product details.

4: Low Vision Glasses for Watching TV

Yes you heard it right!! The award-winning technology also helps you stay connected to the world, enabling you to watch TV with ease, take pictures and store them in your gallery, access to video streaming platforms like YouTube, Netflix and alot more.

Other Salient Features

• Adjustable IPD (interpupillary distance)
• Self Administered Vision Tests
• Powerful autofocus with near to far distance lenses
• Removable eye guard to suit surrounding lighting conditions
• An advanced camera with 30 frames/second resolution