Prevent Blindness has declared February to be Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)/Low Vision Awareness Month, bringing attention to the causes of vision loss, the importance of vision screening, and resources available to help.
Screening is the first line of defense. Your optometrist may do basic tests to screen for AMD and glaucoma; an ophthalmologist will do more comprehensive tests. Here are some examples of visions screening tests your vision care specialists may use. If you don’t already have an ophthalmologist, the American Academy of Ophthalmology has a Find a Doctor database to search for one in your area.
If you haven’t experienced AMD, glaucoma, or other kinds of vision loss, you may be curious just what the world looks like with these conditions. This article on common eye disorders from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a series of photos that show what your vision might look like with AMD, glaucoma, and other conditions.
If you are experiencing vision loss, there are many resources from the NIDILRR community and elsewhere available to help you:
- AbleData offers a comprehensive database of assistive technology solutions for low vision (and many other disabilities). Check out their recent article on AT resources for musicians with low vision – featuring our good friend Bill McCann from Dancing Dots.
- The National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision conducts research and training on employment and low vision. Check out their Transportation Resources, including a customizable transportation plan you can use with an employment counselor.
- Try one of these products from NIDILRR-funded SBIRs:
- Dancing Dots GOODFEEL and Low Vision Lime for musicians with low vision
- Accessible GPS products from the Sendero Group
- Capti reads aloud anything on your computer, tablet, or smartphone.
- Are you currently employed and experiencing vision loss? The Job Accommodation Network, funded by the Department of Labor, has many accommodation ideas for workers with vision loss.
These are just some examples of resources you can use right now if you are experiencing vision loss. If you are a researcher or vision loss professional, you may be interested in articles in our collection. We have literally thousands of articles, books, and reports on low vision so we’ve broken down some searches for you:
- Visual impairments and Employment
- Visual impairments and Assistive Technology
- Visual impairments and Transportation
- Visual impairments and Education
Those are just a few examples of how you can sort through the thousands of abstracts we have available in REHABDATA. Try your own advanced search or chat with an information specialist for help digging around!
Collection Spotlight from the National Rehabilitation Information Center 