Central scotomas--areas of the nonseeing retina within the central 20 degrees of the visual field--are present in approximately 90% of vision rehabilitation patients. They vary in size and shape and can be small or large, symmetrical or asymmetrical, round or irregularly shaped. Most central scotomas border fixation on one side and can be overcome…

Adults with visual impairments experience a loss of balance and mobility, which presents a barrier to independence and is associated with the fear of falling. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which visual status, age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and the strength of quadriceps and hamstrings contribute to compromised…

Choroidal neovascularization is a rare condition where aberrant blood vessels behind the retina grow and then bleed, eventually becoming blind areas called Fuchs' spots. A woman suffering from this rare eye disease speaks about the challenges of coping with the visual disability and her determination to make the best of what life has to offer.

Investigated was whether partially seeing children see the Snellen E, printed in selected colored inks on various colored backgrounds, at different distances in terms of initial recognition and best focus. (Author)

Comparison of 2 totally blind, 2 visually impaired, and 9 normally sighted children (ages 5-8) on tasks of visual perspective taking found that the totally blind children were older than the other children when they mastered the tasks, made the highest percentage of errors before mastery, and made different errors. (Author/DB)

Twenty-five older adults with age-related macular degeneration were separated into one of three groups: in-clinic training, take-home-training, or no-training. After testing, results showed that the ability to distinguish figure from ground is an improvable skill with the take-home group improving the most. (Author/DB)

Discussed is the nature of a central scotoma, or decreased central vision, and described are current techniques for training an individual to use the peripheral retina. (Author/IM)

This study assesses the validity of an interview questionnaire designed to predict performance by low-vision adults (N=41) on tasks of finding, detecting, scanning, and tracking. Subjects' ratings of difficulty with these tasks were compared to ratings of trained professionals. Results indicate self-report may be of some value in predicting…

Students with monocular vision may be in need of special assistance and should be evaluated by a multidisciplinary team to determine whether the visual loss is affecting educational performance. This article discusses the student's eligibility for special services, difficulty in performing depth perception tasks, difficulties in specific classroom…

This study, involving 20 children (ages 6-12) with legal blindness or partial sight, explored the relationships between ability to read and performance on tasks which require the manipulation of figure/ground relations. Significant differences were found between fluent readers and poor readers/nonreaders on four of the six tasks. No age…

This study compared improvements in visual function of 20 Spanish children with low vision, ages 4 to 6 years. Children received either the Barraga and Morris program or the Frostig program, or placebo control or no treatment. No significant differences between treatment groups were found. (DB)

Some cautions regarding the early educational uses of optical aids with visually impaired children are suggested, based on widely held assumptions and recent findings in the fields of perception and reading. The change from the sight conservation era to one advocating the maximum use of remaining vision is traced. (Author/SW)