Low Vision Glasses

According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2026), at least 2.2 billion people worldwide live with some form of vision impairment, and most of them are over the age of 50. In almost half of these cases, the vision loss could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed.

For people living with irreversible low vision, the WHO recognizes vision rehabilitation as highly effective in improving functioning and quality of life.

The most common diseases that lead to low vision are:

• macular degeneration
• diabetic retinopathy
• glaucoma
• myopic maculopathy
• Stargardt’s disease
• cone dystrophy
• retinitis pigmentosa
• atrophy of the optic nerve

Low vision has a pathological cause. It is not a refractive problem like myopia and presbyopia and it cannot be treated with regular glasses or contact lenses.

What is the solution to enhance low vision?

Low vision glasses with special lenses, made in the USA, have been helping patients with low vision carry out their daily activities for forty years.

• Low vision glasses are prescribed on an individual basis by the low vision specialized optometrist: for both eyes or for each eye separately; for reading, close distance or long distance tasks, or watching television or a school board; for getting around safely.
• Low vision glasses are specialized optical systems that focus the image onto a larger area of the retina, beyond the macula, so that it also reaches the healthy areas of the retina according to their technical specifications. This makes details visible even when there are dark spots (scotomas) in central vision. The lenses are made of high-index glass with an anti-reflective coating, for a clear, sharp, distortion-free image across the entire field of view.

Special low vision glasses come in different magnifications and are selected based on the patient’s visual acuity, visual field, and needs. They can be manually focused or self-focusing, and with consistent use they train the patient’s remaining vision, giving back independence and quality of life.