Low Vision

At PBMA’s H.V.Desai Eye Hospital, the Low Vision clinic aims to provide, the best possible management, for patients who have visual impairment.

A person can be diagnosed with low vision in the following situations:

  • Best corrected visual acuity of 6/18 or less and/or field of vision of 10 degree or less from point of fixation.
  • People who are unable to see objects (e.g. a person’s face) beyond maximum of 3m i.e., 10 feet distance (with their spectacle correction) and/or people those who have side vision difficulty are said to have low vision.
  • When ordinary eye glasses, contact lenses or intraocular lens implants cannot provide sharp vision, an individual is said to have low vision.
  • Although reduced central or reading vision is common, low vision may also result from decreased side or (peripheral) vision, a reduction or loss of clarity of vision, or the inability of the eye to properly adjust to light or glare.

Difficulties related to low vision include:

  • Recognising faces from a distance
  • Watching TV
  • Seeing a black board (for students)
  • Reading fine print/writing
  • Computer/mobile handling tasks
  • Glare problems

Most common conditions associated with low vision:

  • Congenital cataract/Aphakia
  • Retinitis Pigmentosa
  • Albinism
  • Diabetic retinopathy
  • Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD)
  • Heredomacular degeneration (e.g.: Stargardt’s disease)
  • Glaucoma
  • Nystagmus
  • High myopia
  • Optic nerve problems (e.g.: Optic atrophy)
  • Retinopathy Of Prematurity (ROP)

Our Services:

  • Assessment of the difficulty level of the patients in performing day-to-day activities
  • Vision assessment
  • Spectacle power check up
  • Testing with low vision devices (optical and non-optical)
  • Colour vision assessment
  • Contrast sensitivity assessment
  • Field of vision assessment

Recent technology devices mounted on Spectacles

  • Smart Vision Glasses – Spectacles with camera and when connected to mobile device can give audio instructions on things around. It also helps patients read printed material in many Indian languages

Available optical devices:

Telescopes

  • Monocular telescope (handheld and spectacle-mounted)
  • Binocular telescope
  • SEE TV (spectacle model telescope)

Devices to view objects located nearby:

  • Spectacle magnifiers
  • Stand magnifiers
  • Hand-held magnifiers
  • Dome magnifiers
  • Fresnel book magnifiers
  • Pocket magnifiers

Available non-optical devices:

  • Adjustable reading stand
  • Table lamp
  • Notex
  • Typoscope
  • Letter writer
  • Signature guide
  • Talking watch
  • Walking stick
  • Clip-on filters
  • Tinted lenses