During Low Vision Awareness Month we all have the opportunity to raise awareness about visual impairment and rehabilitation for those who are living with low vision.

What is Low Vision?

Low vision is the term used to describe significant visual impairment that can’t be corrected fully with glasses, contact lenses, medication, or eye surgery, it includes:

Loss of best-corrected visual acuity to worse than 20/70 in the better eye.Significant visual field loss. Tunnel vision (lack of vision in the periphery) and blind spots are examples of visual field loss.Legal blindness. In the United States, legal blindness typically is defined as visual acuity of 20/200 or worse (in the better eye, with the best possible vision correction in place) or a field of view (visual field) that is constricted to 20 degrees or less.

Disability statistics from the 2014 American Community Survey show that 2.3 percent of individuals ages 16 and over have a visual disability or low vision.

The following are the definitions of visual acuity, according to the World Health Organization. These ratings are for vision in the better eye with the best possible prescription corrective lens:

20/30 to 20/60: Mild vision loss, but near-normal vision20/70 to 20/160: …

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of blindness in adults over age 50 and it affects about 2.1 million people in the US. Early diagnosis and treatment are the keys to preventing vision loss. AMD is a degenerative disease that happens when part of the retina called the macula, is damaged. The macula is the part of the eye that delivers sharp, central vision needed to see objects straight ahead. Over time, the loss of central vision can interfere with everyday activities, such as the ability to drive, read, and see faces clearly.

During AMD Awareness Month in February, the American Academy of Ophthalmology is reminding people that even though there is not currently a cure for AMD, there are a number of things you can do to slow its effects and prevent blindness, early detection being a critical first step. Treatments for macular degeneration depend on whether the disease is in its early-stage, dry form or in the more advanced, wet form that can lead to serious vision loss.

What is AMD?– AMD is a common eye condition and a leading cause of blindness in those 50 and older.  Aging can cause the macula to slowly degenerate and reduce central …