Clinical Analysis of Low Vision Patients

We retrospectively evaluated the 130 low vision patients on the basis of medical recordings. Men(58.5%) were more than women. The patients in teen-age(11-20yr) were most common(23.9%). Etiologies were aphakia due to congenital cataract(21.5%), macular degeneration(15.4%), and optic atrophy(13.8%) in that order. Low vision aids were prescribed for rehabilitation of the low vision. High-power plus glasses(25.4%), magnifiers(24.6%), and telemicroscope(7.9%) were low vision aids commonly prescribed for near vision, while hand-held telescope(23.8%) was the most popular for distance vision aids. High-power plus glasses were actually worn by 31 of 32 patients prescribed for them.

The Availability of Contrast Sensitivity in Low Vision Patients

The standard vision test using visual acuity is not always an accurate indicator of functional visual loss. The contrast sensitivity was measured in low vision patients. the contrast sensitivity of low vision patients showed a substantila decrease in all spatial frequencies(P<0.001). Of the 34 patients, the preferred eye was the eye with better peak sensitivity in 31 patients(91%) while the perferred eye was the eye with better visual acuity in 24 patients(71%). There were no characteristics of contrast sensitivity according to the diagnosis. The contributions of the contrast sensitivity function to the low vision care are evaluated.