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How Lighting Can Help Your Vision

In winter, daylight hours are considerably reduced, and even during the day the low sun and cloud cover reduces available light, especially indoors. The lower levels of light can make reading and close tasks more difficult, especially for older people and those with existing vision problems. As we get older the amount of light entering the eye is reduced and we need more light to help the eyes to function as well as they can.

Extra light can help with tasks like reading, writing, sewing, knitting and hobbies. In general, lighting for these sorts of activities should be as close as possible without blocking your view, and be flexible enough to direct exactly where you need it most. While ordinary ceiling lights and table lamps are fine for general room lighting, for task lighting it is better to have a lamp specifically suited for the task.

Some Types of Task Lighting

Simple adjustable tabletop task lamps are the most common type, and provide adjustable lighting that allows the light position to be moved to suit your needs. They come in a wide variety of designs, but need to be able to create a strong directional light that can be angled easily.

Floor standing lamps mean you do not need to have a table of the correct height, so are potentially more flexible for locating, although they can be heavy. Unlike standard lamps, floor standing task lights usually have at least one adjustable arm so the light can be directed correctly.

Some floor standing lamps have an additional arm with a magnifying lens attached. This is ideal for close or intricate work, or for those with low vision. It allows for maximum visibility, but leaves both hands free.

Battery powered lamps give much more flexibility in positioning, and can easily be taken with you while travelling, for hospital stays, visiting friends and family or just as you move from room to room.  Some use built in rechargeable batteries which can be cost effective, while others use the standard disposable batteries.

Hand held lights are designed to produce a strong white light for occasional tasks, like reading labels and prices, and are small enough to be slipped into a pocket or purse. For small text, of course, a hand magnifier with a built in light may be a better option.

Bookstand lights are especially for those who enjoy reading, but find low light levels strain their eyes and can also be helpful for holding recipes and instructions. By mounting a light directly above a bookstand, it is directed exactly where it's needed without getting in the way.

Types of Bulbs for Task Lighting

Task lights come with different bulb types, such as traditional incandescent bulbs, halogen bulbs, CFL tubes or LED Bulbs. Most new task lights tend to use CFL or LED bulbs as these are much more energy efficient. They also produce a white light that is closer to daylight colour, leading to less strain on the eyes during extended use, such as reading.

 

Sight Village Exhibition, Kensington Town Hall, London, 1^st & 2^nd November 2011

For those who are interested to see what is available for people with sight loss come along to Sight Village Exhibition, London on 1^stand 2^ndNovember 2011.  Vision Enhancers will be there alongside the Sight and Sound Technology stand, with many of our vision aids for you to see, try and buy.  We will have a selection of hand, stand, illuminated, bar, dome and folding magnifiers as well as magnifying spectacles and a display of our unique Cocoons Polarised and non-polarised coloured filter glasses. It’s a great opportunity to take a hands-on look at what is available to you and maybe find some helpful items that you didn’t even know about. 

World Sight Day 2011

World Sight Day 2011 is today, 13^th October, 2011.  World Sight Day is an annual day of awareness to focus global attention on blindness, visual impairment and rehabilitation of the visually impaired held on the second Thursday in October. According to the World Health Organisation 286 million people worldwide are visually impaired.  In the UK this figure is about 2 million, approximately 1 person in 30 with 1 in 5 people aged over 75 living with sight loss.  Vision Enhancers aims to provide help for those living with poor sight and their carers with its easy to use website which is supported with optical expertise from low vision professionals.  A comprehensive range of magnifying glasses and vision aids as well as tips and advice for people with sight loss is available together with tools to help identify the level of magnification and type of magnifier that will be of most help. The Magnification  Finder and Product Selection Tool will give suggestions for the best aids to meet visual impairment needs or a visitor can search by magnifier type, by use(what they would like to use the magnifying glass for), by magnification or by manufacturer depending on their preferred method.  The site is able to cater for all types of visitor from the person who is newly diagnosed and knows nothing about visual impairment and is looking for help and advice as well as vision aids, to the seasoned magnifier buyer who wants to go straight to their chosen item.  Whichever route, the products supplied are from quality manufacturers, have been tried and tested in low vision clinics and have helped many people who have eye conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. 

Do you find the low setting sun difficult when travelling in a car?

Whilst we are all pleased to still see the sun at this time of year, its dazzling effect can be a problem when driving in a car or crossing the road.  The angle of the setting sun is just too low for the sun visor to shield and its brightness can temporarily blind you as well as causing discomfort.  Polarising glasses allow you to see the road clearly by reducing the glare from the sun. Polarised lenses act as a chemical “venetian blind” that eliminates blinding glare by rearranging the reflected light before it reaches the eyes.  Wearing polarised lenses helps reduce eyestrain and your eyes can stay relaxed and focused on driving and your journey.  Polarised filter glasses are available with different styles and lens colours, in a frame to be worn over a standard pair of spectacles or independently. They are also available  as a clip-on filter to be worn attached to the top of a spectacle frame which can be flipped up or down as required, e.g. when going inside.  As well as reducing dazzling, coloured filters have the added benefit of enhancing contrast.  Try the Cocoons Polarised Filter Glasses to help protect your eyes from glare. 

New Cocoons UV Filter Glasses

Retinal damage can be caused by long term exposure to harmful ultra-violet light.  Cocoons Low Vision UV Filter Glasses, now available from Vision Enhancers, provide maximum protection from harmful UVA and UVB light as well as enhancing visual perception.   The Low Vision Cocoons frames are designed to block damaging UV light and glare from all angles (top, bottom and sides) so completely isolating the eyes in a cocoon of filtered light. The design of the frames have integrated side lenses  which are precisely regulated to match the exact transmission rates and UV absorption curves of the front lenses to provide all round protection whilst maximising the light available to the eyes. Cocoons frames feature Flex2Fit® temples which allow the user to manually adjust the ear pieces to fit their own preferences providing improved comfort during extended wear. Low Vision Cocoons are comfortable and stylish contrast enhancing UV shield filter glasses with non-polarised lens tints available in three colours, hazelnut, lemon and orange.  There are four different styles so that the glasses can be worn over prescription spectacles or independently and have been designed specifically for those with low vision.

Light for Sight – Good Practice Framework 

Lighting can be a key benefit to making everyday tasks safer and easier for everyone but particularly for those people who have sight loss.  A new Good Practice Framework has been developed by the Light for Sight Strategy Group convened by the Thomas Pocklington Trust and involving key organisations who provide services to people with sight loss and those involved in the design and provision of housing and lighting.  The framework aims to raise awareness of the lighting issue and outlines key elements that need to be in place to improve lighting and to provide advice and information both to those with sight loss and the professionals who support them.  For more information see the framework document Light for Sight – Good Practice Framework

World Sight Day 2009

World Sight Day is an annual day of awareness held on the second Thursday of October - this years is the 8th October, to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment.  Some key facts about visual impairment, sight loss and blindness. - Approximately 314 million people worldwide live with low vision and blindness.  Of these 45 million are blind and 269 million have low vision. - 80% of blindness is avoidable - i.e. readily treatable and/or preventable. Restorations of sight, and blindness prevention strategies are among the most cost-effective interventions in health care - Ageing populations and lifestyle changes mean that chronic blinding conditions such as diabetic retinopathy are projected to rise exponentially. Without effective, major intervention, the number of blind people worldwide has been projected to increase to 76 million by 2020.  To raise awareness of eye health globally the World Sight Day is held annually to highlight the issues of visual impairment and the treatments and measures and vision aids that can help.

Daily Mail article about Lipshitz Macular Implant (LMI) operation

The successful experience of a patient undergoing the newest implantable telescope surgery appeared in the Daily Mail on 11th August giving information both on Age related Macular Disease and his experience with the operation.  To see the story visit http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1205679/Me-operation-New-implant-help-thousands-age-related-blindness.html

BBC Radio 4 Case Notes - Investigates latest information on the lens of the eye

Dr Mark Porter talks to Southampton Surgeon Rob Morris about some of the effects of ageing on the lens of the eye. Visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00lyfrd/Case_Notes_Lens_of_the_Eye/ to hear more.

A New Treatment for Dry AMD

The IOL-Vip System (Intra-Ocular Lens for Visually Impaired People)

The IOL-Vip system has been developed to provide patients with macular disease an improvement of their central vision.  In this exciting new procedure, two small lenses are inserted into the eye.  Together these lenses act like a telescope, slightly magnifying the image and diverting it to a healthier part of the retina.  This healthy retina takes over the role of the macula and can give the AMD patient significantly improved vision. The potential improvement in vision can be tested using a special simulator.  The simulator demonstrates the effect of the IOL-Vip system so patients can experience the possible improvement before the operation.  Patients are helped to learn to use the new image with the help of some simple exercises. The procedure takes about 30 minutes and there is no need for an overnight stay in hospital. The IOL-Vip system can help patients with “dry” and established “wet” forms of AMD and also patients with other forms of macular disease including macular holes, myopic degeneration and hereditary retinal diseases e.g. Stargardt’s, Best’s. For further information please click http://www.iolvip.co.uk/index.html to go to the special website dedicated to this treatment.

New Touch Control Illuminated Hand Magnifier from Coil

A significantly larger viewing area is one the key design features of the new improved illuminated hand magnifier from Coil which incorporates the latest LED technology.  Providing a uniform spread of light across the entire lens, the lightweight magnifier is comfortable to hold for longer periods and switches on simply by the touch of holding it. When it is put down it automatically switches off – no wasted batteries. This ease of use makes it ideal for people with poor dexterity. Available in 3x, 5x and 7x magnification it has an easy access press release system to change the batteries and is supplied with a soft pouch for protection when not in use.