---
title: What is Low Vision? - The Mind's Eye | VBA
description: According to the National Eye Institute, approximately 135 million people worldwide have low vision.
---

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February is Low Vision Awareness Month. According to the National Eye Institute, approximately [135 million people](https://nei.nih.gov/lowvision/content/faq) worldwide have low vision. A myriad of diseases and health conditions can cause low vision, so it’s crucial to monitor your vision health by having regular eye-exams.

**What is Low Vision? **

Low Vision is the loss of eyesight that is not correctable with glasses, contact lenses, medicine or surgery. The[ impairment](https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/low-vision) may make everyday activities such as reading, writing, watching television and recognizing faces difficult. While low vision can occur at any age, most people diagnosed are 65 and older.

**Causes and Symptoms **

Typically low vision is a result of [eye diseases](https://nei.nih.gov/lowvision/content/faq) such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy or retinitis pigmentosa. Symptoms may include:

- Difficulty reading
- Difficulty matching colors of your clothes
- Loss of peripheral (side) vision
- Night blindness
- Blurred vision

**Diagnosis  **

Your ophthalmologist or optometrist will be able to determine if you have low vision based off your medical history and results of a vision care exam. Upon diagnosis, they should also be able to offer/suggest resources that will help utilize your remaining vision.

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