Low Vision Rehabilitation

Low vision rehabilitation helps people whose sight cannot be improved further by glasses, medicine or surgery to make the best use of the vision they have. It combines a specialised assessment with optical and electronic aids, training, lighting and practical adaptations for reading, mobility, work and daily tasks.

It does not treat the underlying eye disease or restore sight. What it changes is function: many people return to reading, managing medication, cooking or using a computer. Success depends on practice and on support that continues after the first appointment.

Conditions this service looks after

• Age-related macular degeneration
• Diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular disease
• Advanced glaucoma
• Retinitis pigmentosa and other inherited retinal dystrophies
• Stargardt disease and childhood-onset macular conditions
• Optic nerve disease and optic atrophy
• Visual field loss after stroke or brain injury
• Albinism and nystagmus
• High myopia with macular damage

Tests you may be offered

• Functional history: What you need and want to do: read post, see faces, travel alone, keep working.
• Distance and near acuity with low vision charts: Measures vision more precisely than a standard chart at poor acuities.
• Contrast sensitivity: Often explains difficulty better than acuity does, and guides lighting and contrast advice.
• Visual field and scotoma mapping: Locates blind spots and the best area of remaining retina for eccentric viewing.
• Reading speed and magnification need: Determines the power and type of device that will work.
• Glare assessment: Selects tinted filter lenses.

Treatments available

• Optical magnifiers: Hand, stand and illuminated magnifiers and high-power reading glasses for near tasks.
• Telescopic aids: Hand-held or spectacle-mounted telescopes for distance tasks such as signs and screens.
• Electronic magnification: Desktop and portable video magnifiers, tablets and phone accessibility settings, text-to-speech software.
• Filters and lighting: Tinted lenses to cut glare, and task lighting to boost contrast.
• Eccentric viewing and scanning training: Learning to use a healthier part of the retina, or to scan into a blind field after stroke.
• Orientation, mobility and daily living skills: Cane training, home adaptations and marking of appliances, usually delivered by local services.
• Psychological support: Depression is common after sight loss and deserves attention in its own right.

When to ask for a specialist opinion

• Your eye doctor says nothing more can be done medically, yet you still struggle with daily tasks
• Reading is slow or impossible despite new glasses
• Sight loss is threatening your job, studies or independence
• A child with visual impairment needs support for schooling
• You are unsure whether you still meet the driving standard

Travelling to Türkiye for this care

A low vision assessment takes 1 to 2 hours and can be added to a visit made for an eye opinion, giving you a prescription for specific devices and a chance to try them. However, rehabilitation is a process: training sessions, home and workplace adaptation, mobility instruction, certification of visual impairment and social or educational support are all tied to services in your own country. Travel for low vision care alone is rarely worthwhile. Be cautious about devices that you cannot try before buying.

Send your reports, scans and a short history and a Clinic-Y coordinator replies within 24 hours with suitable teams and written, all-inclusive proposals side by side. Reviewing your case is free.

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