J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.
2005 Feb;46(2):345-352.
Clinical Analysis of 500 Low Vision Patients
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea. njmoon@chol.com
Abstract
- PURPOSE
To investigate the clinical manifestation in 500 low vision patients. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 500 low vision patients at the National Medical Center and Chung-Ang University Yong-san Hospital from May 1995 to April 2004. The medical records were reviewed and interviews were administered to 80 consecutive patients. RESULTS: The most frequent causes of low vision included optic atrophy (29.8%), macular degeneration (22.6%) and retinitis pigmentosa (9.6%). Hand-held magnifier and Keplerian telescope were popularly used low vision aids. Visual acuity after prescription improved compared with that before prescription for near and distant vision. The most common purposes to visit a low vision clinic were for reading books and newspapers. Many patients didn't have an understanding about non-optical low vision aids. The majority of the patients (76.3%) benefited from attending a low vision clinic. CONCLUSIONS: Low vision rehabilitation using low vision aids may be a great help to increasing the quality of life in low vision populations.
