Guide
for Macular Degeneration Eyeglasses:
Low Vision
Treatment
Introduction
If
you are willing to learn new ways of seeing this book is for you. Low vision glasses may be able to bring the
joyful parts of life back into better focus.
Pioneering
optics and electronic magnification are important tools to seeing better with
advancing macular degeneration.
It is beneficial to have a good understanding of the eye and macular
degeneration. Macular degeneration
causes a partial loss in vision; however, the part that is lost is the critical
central vision needed for fine detail vision like reading. You never go blind with macular degeneration.
You
have “low vision” when you cannot see well enough to do the things you like and
need to do.
There
are effective ways to minimize the vision problems macular degeneration
creates. You can see better…not
perfect…but definitely better. Magnification
is the key to improving what you want to see.
The complete free book is available for download from LowVisionEyeglasses.com
Low
Vision Glasses for Near Activities
reading
•
writing • computer •
cards •
painting • puzzles
bingo
•
music •
knitting • recipes • genealogy • photos
Prismatic Magnifying Readers (PMRs)
ClearImage II Reading Microscope
Spectacle Miniature Telescopes (SMTs)
Low
Vision Glasses for Distance Activities
driving
•
television • faces • live
theater • sports
scenery
•
museums • walking
E-scoop Glasses
Spectacle Miniature Telescopes (SMTs)
a. Full diameters
b. Bioptics
Learning
the benefits and limitations of magnification is an important step to seeing
better. Magnification can be supplied in
low vision eyeglasses, hand-held optical magnifiers or electronically through
the use of special equipment.
Lighting,
enhanced contrast and glare control are additional treatment tools.
 |
| Bioptic Magnifying Glasses for Macular Degeneration |
What is Macular Degeneration?
Macular
degeneration is a common, incurable and potentially devastating disease. It is a
progressive condition that causes vision loss in the center of your vision.
Macular degeneration is
the leading cause of permanent vision loss in
people 50 and older. The older you are, the greater your chance of being
affected by age-related macular degeneration. Early detection is the key to reducing the
effects of this condition.
Symptoms
for macular degeneration often include a gradual or sudden loss of vision for
tasks like reading, writing, driving or seeing faces clearly. There may be haziness, small or large blind
spots, or even distortions in vision.
Macular degeneration does not cause
total blindness, but it can decrease your quality of life by blurring or
causing a blind spot in your central vision. Clear central vision is used for
reading, driving, recognizing faces and seeing any task requiring detail work.
In contrast, the peripheral retina is
responsible for detecting objects and movement off to the side and this is not
affected by macular degeneration.
Peripheral vision is naturally blurry, yet very beneficial. It is necessary for keeping us safe as we
move about throughout the day. It also
becomes more important for daily activities as macular degeneration progresses.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology 10 million
Americans have some stage of macular degeneration. There are 200,000 new
individuals developing this condition every year.
Normal
eyesight consists of a combination of
clear center vision and blurry side vision.
 |
| Macular degeneration affects the center vision only. |
 |
| Early Stage |
 |
| Intermediate Stage |
 |
| Advanced Stage |
 |
| End Stage (it gets no worse) |
 |
| Looking under the telescope |
 |
| Looking through the telescope |
What is the Macula?
The macula is an area of the light-sensitive
retina in the center of the back of the eye. In the center of the macula is the
fovea that contains densely packed photoreceptor cells which are necessary for
seeing fine detail and providing sharp straight-ahead vision.
What is the Fovea?
The fovea is the “sweet spot” in the middle of
the macula needed for 20/20 vision. When
we lose the ability of the fovea to “see”, we no longer can have sharp vision.
What are Low Vision Glasses?
People with
advancing macular degeneration need magnification
to “see around the blind spots and distortion”.
In other words, they need a “clarification “boost”. Magnification spreads the image to healthier
parts of the macula and retina. Magnification
makes the blind spots and distortions seem smaller; however, magnification can
never truly eliminate them. Magnification
helps reduce the amount of vision impairment.
Standard
eyeglasses consist of only one lens. Depending
on the level of vision and what needs to be seen, a single lens may no longer
be able to provide enough magnification.
Magnification
of a single lens is determined on its curvature, thickness and material (index
of refraction).
Telescopic and Tele-Microscope Low Vision Glasses
Ever look
through a pair of binoculars and everything is larger and easier to see?
In order to
get good quality high-power magnification in a pair of glasses, two or three lenses
separated by an air space is often required.
This is not your standard pair of eyeglasses. The telescopes improve the image size.
Why didn’t my doctor tell me about Low Vision Glasses?
Eye doctors
are excellently trained in diagnosing and treating eye diseases. They are extremely busy in what they know and
do best. Macular degeneration creates a
type of blurriness that cannot be helped with normal eyeglasses.
Traditional
eyeglass lenses are designed to focus light and images on to the macula located
in the back of the eye. Everyday glasses are used to correct the eye's focusing
problems: myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism
(unequal cornea curvatures) and presbyopia (decreased reading vision after age
40). These lens corrections put the image clearly onto the macula allowing for
20/20 vision when the macula and fovea are healthy.
When the macula
is damaged the "picture remains faulty" even when the glasses are
focusing the image properly on to the macula. The more the macula is damaged
the poorer the vision.
Low
vision glasses are not your regular pair of eye glasses. They magnify the image beyond the damage
areas in the macula.
There are
very few doctors with training in advanced low vision optics or who specialize
in the field of Low Vision Rehabilitation.
If you ask
your doctor they should be able to refer to a low vision specialist. You may also call the International Academy of Low Vision Specialists at (888) 778-2030. www.IALVS.org
Low vision
eyeglasses may not help everyone, but you do not know if you do not try. The benefits low vision glasses can provide
depends on your level of vision, what you want to see and do, and your ability
to adapt to new ways of seeing.
Guide for Macular Degeneration Eyeglasses:
Low Vision Treatment
please visit
Contact Dr. Kinkade for a free telephone consultation
to see if you or someone you know is a candidate
for his special glasses.
(800) 756-0766
Cheshire • Danbury • Farmington
Litchfield • Manchester • Norwalk • Waterford
