Health Topic

Vision Impairment and Blindness

Vision impairment (low vision) and blindness can have many causes. If you lose vision, you can't get it back. But there are ways to manage; learn how.

Reviewed Reviewed by a registered pharmacistGeneral information

Also called: Low vision

Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

About Vision Impairment and Blindness

Vision impairment is the loss of vision. It includes blindness, which means that you have lost all or most of your sight. It also includes low vision, which means you have some vision, but the vision loss makes it hard to do everyday activities. You may have trouble reading, shopping, cooking, writing, and watching TV. Low vision can't be fixed with glasses, contact lenses, medicine, or surgery.

Aging doesn't cause vision loss on its own. But many diseases that are more common in older adults can cause it. The leading causes of low vision and blindness in the United States are age-related eye diseases such as macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma. Other eye disorders, eye injuries, and birth defects can also cause vision loss.

Vision impairment is diagnosed with a dilated eye exam. Early warning signs of a vision problem can include not being able to see well enough to:

  • Do everyday tasks like reading and driving
  • Recognize people's faces
  • Tell the difference between colors
  • See the television or computer screen clearly

You can have these symptoms even though you are wearing glasses or contacts.

There are several types of low vision. Which type you have depends on the condition that caused your low vision.

Common types of low vision include:

  • Central vision loss (not being able to see things in the center of your vision)
  • Peripheral (side) vision loss (not being able to see things out of the corners of your eyes)
  • Night blindness (not being able to see in low light)
  • Blurry or hazy vision

Low vision is permanent. Glasses, medicine, and surgery can't cure low vision. But sometimes they can improve your vision, help you do everyday activities more easily, or keep your remaining vision.

Your treatment options will depend on the condition that caused your low vision. Ask your eye doctor which treatments might help you. They may recommend vision aids or vision rehabilitation, which might make everyday activities easier.

Vision rehabilitation teaches you how to live with your vision loss. It may include:

  • Showing you how to use a magnifying device or screen readers for reading
  • Helping you set up your home so you can move around more easily
  • Employment and job training
  • Assistive devices, like lighting and reading stands

Your provider may suggest other resources, such as transportation and household services, to help you cope with your vision loss.

The sooner vision loss or eye disease is found and treated, the greater your chances of keeping your remaining vision. Whatever the cause, lost vision cannot be restored. But it can be managed. A loss of vision means you may have to reorganize your life and learn new ways of doing things. Your provider may make suggestions to help make life easier. These may include:

If you have some vision:

  • Visual aids such as magnifiers
  • Telescopic glasses or monoculars for seeing distance
  • Large print books
  • Clocks with larger numbers
  • Brighter lights
  • Anti-glare sunglasses or glare shields

If you have no vision (blindness):

  • Devices like text-reading software and braille books

You can help take care of your vision by:

  • Having regular comprehensive eye exams by an eye care professional
  • Wearing sunglasses and protective eyewear to protect your eyes
  • Making lifestyle changes to lower your risk of health conditions that can cause vision problems: Getting regular physical activity
  • Staying at a healthy weight
  • Quitting smoking (or not starting)
  • Eating a healthy diet

It sits within Eyes and Vision.

The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Eye Institute.

When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.

Research on Vision Impairment and Blindness

95 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.

What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.

Research currently under way

Research already completed

Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.

Where to read more

Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.

Start Here

Symptoms

Diagnosis and Tests

Living With

Related Issues

Genetics

Statistics and Research

Clinical Trials

Medical subject headings

Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Vision Disorders. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.

This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Vision Impairment and Blindness, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.