Did you know that 4.2 million Americans, ages 40 and older, are visually impaired? Of these, 3 million have “low vision”. By 2030 this number is estimated to reach 7.2 million, with 5 million having low vision. (Source: National Eye Health Education Partnership)

What is low vision?

Low vision is when even with regular glasses, contact lenses, medicine, or surgery, the person has difficulty seeing.

Some signs that someone may have low vision:

• They move hesitantly, shuffle their feet, or walk close to a wall.
• They over-reach or under-reach for objects or touch them in an uncertain way.
• They squint, tilt their head, get closer, or adjust their glasses to see.
• They prefer more or different lighting.
• They drop food or silverware when eating.
• They tell you they are seeing halos around lights or floating spots.
• They complain of headaches.
• They appear to have difficulty reading printed text or they ask for bold or larger text.
• They have changes in their handwriting such as difficulty writing straight on the page, inconsistent spacing, or significantly larger or smaller letters.