Bill Harvey: It’s a shame about rays

I did a number of low vision sessions over the holiday period at the end of last year and was reminded again of how much low vision practice has changed over the years.

The first obvious difference from the practice we were taught some years back was how working out and prescribing magnification plays a much smaller role. It should be no surprise that many low vision assessments do not result in any optical magnifiers being given out. Most patients, even those for whom it was their first low vision assessment, were really seeking good advice and some degree of reassurance that help might be available. The majority of patients have acquired sight loss, so that after 75 years of acceptable vision, they suffer central loss in a short enough time to completely alter their way of life.