Caring For a Senior Parent With Low Vision

Approximately four million Americans are living with “low vision,” a visual impairment that cannot be corrected; in fact, low vision and blindness are now the leading causes of disability in the US. An article published by John Hopkins Medicine states, “a recent study shows that low vision and blindness will more than double in the next 30 years, with 2.3 million people expected to be blind and more than 9.5 million living with low vision.”

As we age, the likelihood of experiencing low vision increases due to age-related eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.

Understanding Low Vision

In this article, we will discuss some of the ways that your elderly loved one can learn to adapt and how a professional in-home care provider such as Visiting Angels Riverside County can help provide care for seniors with low vision.

What is Low Vision?

A visual impairment that may hamper a person’s ability to function daily is considered “low vision.” It cannot be fixed with glasses, medicine, or surgery.

Is Low Vision the same as Blindness?

No. As long as some vision remains, it is not considered to be blindness.

What are the Signs of Low Vision?

Some of the signs of low vision may include:

• Glared, hazy, or blurred vision
• Night blindness and difficulty seeing while driving
• Struggling to read
• Difficulty recognizing faces

What Causes Age-Related Low Vision in Seniors?

Several eye diseases and health conditions can cause age-related low vision in seniors, including:

• Cataracts
• Glaucoma
• Macular degeneration
• Retinal detachment
• Diabetes

Vision Care for Seniors

It is important that your senior loved one has regular eye exams to check for the early warning signs of low vision. Also, if you suspect that your senior’s vision has changed or is causing problems, be sure to inform their eye care professional.

The Impact of Low Vision on Seniors

Research shows that elderly people who are visually impaired are at greater risk of developing depression. It can interfere with daily life and seniors with low vision may self-isolate out of embarrassment, withdrawing from family and friends at a time when they are needed more than ever.

Low vision is a disabling condition that can interfere with a senior’s ability to drive, take care of themselves, and function in daily life.

How to Help Seniors with Low Vision

Because low vision is a safety concern, changes should be made to the senior's home or living environment to minimize their risk of falling or becoming injured. Here are some of the recommendations to help seniors with low vision:

• Install high-contrast markers to help outline edges, steps, and other obstructions. This can be done with high-contrast tape or by switching out light switches and outlets with higher-contrast colors (for example, white plates for dark walls or black plates for white or light-colored walls).
• Use more and brighter lights in the home, particularly on stairs and other high-traffic areas. You might even consider installing motion-activated lights in areas that need to be well-lit.
• Switch to large-print books and increase the font sizes on phones and computers. Swap out telephones, clocks, and remote controls with ones that have larger, easier-to-read numbers.
• Write with felt-tip markers instead of pens and use magnifying aids as a portable technology.

• While it is difficult to live in today’s society without driving, low vision is one of the conditions that can make driving unsafe. In addition to relying on friends and family, consider hiring a home caregiver such as Visiting Angels to provide safe transportation for your loved one.

• Embrace voice recognition technology. It has come a long way in recent years and computers, televisions, and smartphones can now read text out loud to users as well as recognize voice commands.

Low vision can indeed be inconvenient, isolating and even dangerous; however, there’s no reason for your elderly loved one to struggle through it alone. By adapting the home environment with reading aids, high-contrast devices and other technological devices, life can become a lot easier for your senior loved one.

Visiting Angels Riverside County Can Help

Visiting Angels Riverside County offers home care for the blind and care for seniors with low vision as well as respite care for family caregivers. Give us a call at (951) 727-4357 or Contact Us online so we can answer your questions before creating a customized care plan for your loved one.