Assessing low vision care and the utilisation of optical low vision aids among patients with visual impairment in Taiwan

Abstract

AbstractPurposeThe aim of this study was to examine the quality of assessment and the utilisation of optical low vision aids (OLVAs) among people with visual impairment (VI) in Taiwan.MethodsThe study included 577 participants between 4 and 100 years of age (314 males and 263 females). All participants had been certified by the Ministry of the Interior of Taiwan, indicating that they had undergone a thorough and comprehensive low vision assessment, including evaluation of visual acuity (VA), contrast sensitivity, colour vision, visual fields and glare disability. Furthermore, all participants who consented to refraction had received prescriptions for OLVAs.ResultAll participants were prescribed one or more OLVAs such as eyeglasses, tinted lenses, magnifiers, closed‐circuit television magnifiers, telescopes, or screen magnifiers. Among the 577 individuals, 515 received correction for refractive errors, providing the best‐corrected VA (BCVA). The improvement in VA was significant at both distance and near, improving from 1.29 ± 0.55 to 1.01 ± 0.52 logMAR (p < 0.001) and from 1.29 ± 0.56 to 1.01 ± 0.52 logMAR (p < 0.001), respectively. Eyeglasses were the primary OLVAs chosen by 333 participants (64.7%), while 53.3%–80.3% of participants combined eyeglasses with other OLVAs to enhance their visual performance.ConclusionsThe most commonly used and effective OLVA was eyeglasses. Skilfully utilising appropriate refractive and VA measurements is crucial for determining the most suitable and beneficial OLVA for individuals with VI.