Among all senses, you rely heavily on your sense of sight. For one, you need to see what you are doing to make sure that it is done properly and safely. However, that is not the norm for visually impaired individuals since they find it hard to perform the simplest of tasks without the right impairment aids. Those who can afford vision impairment aids can somehow lessen the difficulty of moving around and accomplishing tasks on their own compared to those who don’t have them.
Accordingly, several impairment aids are developed through technology, but many visual impairment conditions remain to disable people from their daily tasks. Hopefully, the future holds better technology to address this need. Thus, people must understand the different visual impairment conditions to develop the right aids for them soon.
Visual Impairment Explained
The most common misconception about visual impairment is that it can be fixed using refraction, also known as the use of correction glasses. Eyeglasses for vision impairment is only a temporary aid for selected vision problems. The usual nearsightedness and farsightedness are not the only vision impairment cases.
In general, visual impairment can be defined as vision loss that could have resulted from eye, brain, or nerve disorders. Trauma could also be a cause of such a condition. With these varying causes, the effects on people and the need for impairment aids also vary. That makes it essential for us to know the types of visual impairments to understand the impact of vision loss better. The following are the most common impairments on vision:
Cataracts
In the case of cataracts, vision loss happens as eyesight becomes cloudy and blurred. Because of a cataract, the light gets diffused as it enters the eye. Light diffusion affects vision, leading to impairment when the condition worsens. It is among the leading causes of blindness despite being entirely preventable. Old age, disease, and eye trauma are the most common cause of cataract, which affects some 65.2 million people. In the case of vision loss, surgery is necessary.
Color blindness
In color blindness, color discrimination is the problem. Since our perception of color is affected by how our eyes receive light, it is a vision impairment that affects our daily tasks. Techniques like memorizing positions and using identification tags to discriminate colors can be useful to aid difficulty.
Glaucoma
Visual impairment caused by glaucoma is comparable to a shrinking tunnel vision. It begins with the gradual loss of peripheral vision while the visual capacity of the eye remained focused in the middle. Slowly, the condition shrinks that tunnel vision until the total loss of visual ability when not treated.
Astigmatism
One of the most common vision problems that you hear during an eye check-up is astigmatism. Astigmatism can worsen problems of near and farsightedness. Thus, it is also one of the conditions that refraction aids. The corneal surface of a normal eye condition is spherical. In astigmatism, this surface becomes spoon-shaped, known as toric. Thus, toric contact lenses are made to serve as an alternative to eyeglasses for astigmatism.
The list goes on for vision impairment conditions that many people rarely learn about, which has made them insensitive to the needs of people suffering from such conditions. By understanding their circumstances, we can help them find the right medical aid and treatment they need so that they can live normal lives.
