What to Know About Low Vision as You Age and What You Can Do About It

Age-related vision changes can be early signs of low vision, especially when they begin to affect daily tasks and are not fully corrected with glasses or contacts. Common changes affect clarity, contrast, glare tolerance, and how quickly your eyes adjust to light.

1. Reduced contrast sensitivity. Colors and edges look muted or blend together. This makes it harder to see steps, curbs, or objects that do not stand out from their background.
2. Difficulty reading small print. Fine print on labels, menus, or medication bottles become harder to read, even with glasses. This often affects daily tasks that require close focus.
3. Increased glare sensitivity. Bright sunlight, headlights, or overhead lighting feel uncomfortable or blinding. Glare interferes with driving, walking outdoors, or moving through well-lit spaces.
4. Slower adjustment between light and dark environments. Moving from a bright area into a dim room, or the reverse, takes longer than it used to. During this adjustment period, vision feels temporarily unclear.

When these vision changes begin to interfere with daily life, eye care providers evaluate whether low vision is present and recommend strategies or tools to help you continue doing the things that matter most.

Low Vision and How It Is Evaluated

Many people with low vision still see shapes, movement, and light. The difference is that their remaining vision does not function well enough for everyday tasks without added support.

Low vision typically means:

1. Vision loss that persists even with updated glasses or contacts.
2. Ongoing difficulty with daily activities such as reading, recognizing faces, or moving safely through familiar spaces.
3. Visual limitations that benefit from low vision aids, training, or environmental changes rather than standard vision correction alone.

How Eye Care Providers Evaluate Low Vision

How clearly you see letters on an eye chart is only one part of the picture. A low vision evaluation assesses how your vision functions in everyday life.

Providers also assess functional measures, including:

• Contrast sensitivity: This shows how well you see objects that do not clearly stand out from their background.
• Visual field: This measures how much you can see to the sides, above, and below while looking straight ahead.
• Glare tolerance: This helps explain discomfort or vision loss in bright light, sunlight, or nighttime driving conditions.
• Task-specific difficulty: This includes challenges with reading, navigating steps or hallways, using screens, or performing detailed tasks.

This evaluation helps eye care providers identify where support is needed and guides decisions about low-vision aids, therapy, and practical strategies.

What Are Low Vision Aids

Low vision aids are tools and strategies that help you use your remaining vision more effectively. They are selected based on the task you need to perform, the environment you are in, and how easy the tool is to learn and use.

Low vision aids are not one-size-fits-all solutions. Most people benefit from a small set of low vision aids that work together across different situations.

Common Types of Low Vision Aids

Low vision aids are grouped by what they help you do. This makes it easier to match the right support to daily tasks and vision patterns.

Reading and Magnification Tools

These tools support close-up tasks like reading, writing, and detailed work.

1. Handheld and stand magnifiers: Useful for short reading tasks, mail, labels, or menus. Stand magnifiers help when hand steadiness is a concern.
2. Electronic magnifiers: These devices allow adjustable magnification, contrast changes, and brightness control. They are often easier to use for longer reading sessions.
3. Low vision aids for reading and close work: These include specialty lenses and magnification systems designed to reduce eye strain while improving clarity.

Digital and Screen-Based Aids

Digital access is a key part of independence and daily communication.

1. Screen readers and text-to-speech tools: These convert text into spoken words, which helps when reading is difficult or tiring.
2. Large-print and adjustable display settings: Increasing text size, contrast, and spacing can make screens easier to use without additional devices.
3. Tablets and smartphones as vision aids: Built-in accessibility features allow these devices to function as flexible, portable low-vision aids.

Home and Daily Living Aids

These tools focus on safety, comfort, and confidence at home.

1. Improved task lighting: Proper lighting reduces shadows and glare, which supports reading, cooking, and grooming.
2. High-contrast labels and markings: These make switches, steps, and everyday items easier to see.
3. Environmental adaptations for safety: Simple changes, such as contrast strips or rearranged spaces, help reduce fall risk and support independence.

Low Vision Aids for Specific Vision Conditions

Low vision aids are often matched to how vision loss appears, so different vision patterns require different strategies.

Low Vision Aids for Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration affects central vision, which is used for reading and recognizing details. Care often focuses on:

• Strong magnification tools
• Contrast enhancement
• Devices that support reading and near work without relying on central vision alone

Retinitis Pigmentosa Low Vision Aids

Retinitis pigmentosa often affects peripheral vision and night vision. Support includes:

• Tools that assist with orientation and mobility
• Strategies to improve spatial awareness
• Environmental adjustments that make navigation safer

Why Matching the Aid to the Vision Pattern Matters

By aligning aids with specific tasks and vision patterns, care becomes more effective, practical, and sustainable over time.

Low Vision Therapy

Low vision therapy focuses on training and strategies that help you use your remaining vision more effectively, especially when devices alone are not enough.

Devices vs. Training

Low vision care often includes both tools and therapy, but they serve different roles.

Devices provide access. Low vision aids make tasks possible by enlarging text, improving contrast, or offering audio support.

Therapy improves efficiency, confidence, and consistency. Low vision therapy helps you learn how to use these tools effectively in real-life situations. It also teaches visual strategies that reduce fatigue and frustration during daily tasks.

When Low Vision Therapy Becomes Part of the Care Plan

Low vision therapy is often recommended when:

1. Tasks remain difficult even with the right low-vision aids.
2. Visual fatigue limits how long you read or use screens.
3. Confidence is affected, leading you to avoid certain activities.
4. Daily routines feel slower or less reliable than before.

Therapy may include training on scanning techniques, contrast use, lighting adjustments, or safe navigation strategies tailored to your vision pattern. When low vision aids and therapy work are combined, they support long-term independence by making daily activities feel more manageable and consistent.

When to Schedule an Eye Exam

Schedule an eye exam when vision changes begin to affect daily tasks, even if those changes feel mild or gradual.

An exam is recommended if you notice:

• Reading takes more effort or causes eye fatigue
• Glare from sunlight or headlights feels uncomfortable
• Moving between bright and dim spaces feels slower or disorienting
• Screens, labels, or faces are harder to see than before
• Confidence with driving, walking, or household tasks has changed

These signs often appear gradually, which makes them easy to dismiss, but they are a sign that it is time to get help from a eye doctor. Waiting until vision loss becomes disruptive narrows your options and makes adjustments feel more difficult.

Protecting Your Vision Starts Here

If vision changes are making everyday tasks harder, a comprehensive eye exam is the next step. Working with an experienced eye care team, such as Heart of Texas Eye Care, allows you to explore options early and create a plan that fits your needs as they change.

Call us at (512) 213-2220 or schedule your eye exam today. We serve patients in Dripping Springs, Austin, Kyle, Bee Cave, Marble Falls, and other surrounding areas.