Living With Low Vision

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Low vision means sight that cannot be fully corrected with glasses, contact lenses, medicine or surgery, and that makes everyday tasks difficult. It is common with macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic eye disease and retinitis pigmentosa. Many simple aids and changes can help you stay independent.

Make the most of your vision

• Light: bright, even lighting; a lamp directed onto your reading from the side of your better eye. Reduce glare with blinds and tinted glasses.
• Contrast: dark mugs for milk, coloured tape on step edges, a white plate on a dark tablecloth, thick black pens.
• Size: large-print books, phones and remote controls with big buttons, large-print clocks.
• Magnifiers: hand-held, stand or illuminated magnifiers and electronic video magnifiers. Strength is chosen by the eye doctor after testing.

Phones, tablets and computers

• Use the built-in zoom, large text, high contrast and screen reader (TalkBack on Android, VoiceOver on iPhone).
• Voice assistants can read messages, set reminders and make calls.
• Camera apps can read printed text aloud and identify currency notes.

Safety at home

• Keep walkways clear; tape down rugs and cords.
• Mark stove dials and medicines with raised stickers or colours.
• Use a pill organiser with large labels, and ask the pharmacist for large-print labels.

Support and rights

• You may be eligible for a disability certificate under the RPwD Act 2016 if your better eye vision is 6/18 or worse with glasses. See disability certificate guide.
• Feeling low, frustrated or anxious is common. Talk to family, your doctor or a support group. Some people see vivid images (Charles Bonnet syndrome); this is the brain's response to sight loss, not a mental illness.
• Keep regular check-ups: treatment may still protect the vision you have.

For family and carers

• Say who you are when you enter the room, and say when you are leaving.
• Describe where things are using clock positions (your tea is at 3 o'clock).
• Do not move furniture or objects without telling them.
• When guiding, offer your arm and walk half a step ahead.

Frequently asked questions

Related: Low Vision vs Legal Blindness in India (RPwD 2016), 6/60, 6/36, 6/18 Vision Meaning and Glasses Power, Amsler Grid: Printable Home Test for Macular Degeneration.

This leaflet gives general information and does not replace advice from your own eye doctor. Reviewed by Dr. Dhaval Patel, MD (Ophthalmology, AIIMS New Delhi), November 2026.