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The number of patients with low vision is increasing as life expectancy
increases. In addition, the interest and demand for low vision aids are also
increasing with improved socioeconomic status and the development of mass media.
Therefore, it is imperative to recognize the importance of low vision aids. We
reviewed the clinical records of 118 patients who visited our low vision clinic
more than twice. According to the data analyzed, optic nerve atrophy, retinal
degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration were the
most common causes of low vision in these patients. The best corrected visual
acuities without low vision aids were less than 0.3, but with the help of low
vision aids, vision improved to more than 0.4 in 87% of the patients for near
vision, and 56% for distant vision. The patients had complained that they could
not read books, see a blackboard, recognize a person at a distance, and had
other problems because of low vision. However, with the use of low vision aids
their satisfaction with their vision rose to 70%. Hand magnifiers, high-powered
spectacle lenses, and stand magnifiers were the low vision aids commonly used by
people for near vision, while the Galilean telescope and Keplerian telescope
were the most popular devices used for distant vision. In conclusion, low vision
aids are very helpful devices to patients with low vision.