Imagine your child is at school with friends but struggles to distinguish their faces. Or perhaps your son or daughter is trying to read their lessons, but the words appear blurry—and their eyeglasses, if they have a pair, don't seem to help. For children with low-vision, these challenges are part of daily life.
More than 7 million Americans live with low vision, and 246 million people worldwide are affected, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). With an aging population and increasing prevalence of eye conditions, the number of people—both adults and children—living with low-vision is expected to double by 2050.
In developing nations, low vision in children is often irreversible and cannot be fully corrected with eyeglasses or surgery alone. Many children who receive treatment for refractive errors, cataracts, glaucoma, corneal diseases, or retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) still struggle to see properly, preventing them from performing essential daily activities.
While low-vision aids—such as high-power eyeglasses, magnifiers, assistive technologies, and specialized training—can help improve functional vision, access to these resources remains limited in many low-income regions due to insufficient healthcare services. The impact of low vision goes far beyond sight, affecting a child's education, social development, and motor skills.
"It is hard to resist the smile and pure joy of helping a young child with such simple interventions. What a huge difference it makes." John Barrows, President & CEO, International Eye Foundation.
The International Eye Foundation (IEF) recognizes the critical role of low-vision services in addressing childhood blindness. Over the past several years, IEF has supported programs that have screened millions of young children in communities and schools for common causes of vision loss. Some conditions, such as refractive errors, can be managed with corrective lenses, while more serious conditions—like strabismus and cataracts—require referral to hospitals for specialized treatment and surgery. However, even after treatment, children may not see properly.
Children with low vision (LV) are often placed in schools for blind students or resource centers for children with multiple disabilities, even though they may still have residual vision. Many of these children have never been examined for visual impairment, yet their vision could be improved surgically or optically, significantly enhancing their educational and employment opportunities.
Children with congenital cataracts or glaucoma can benefit from appropriate surgery, follow-up care, and optical devices. Low vision devices—such as magnifiers for near vision, telescopes for distance vision, and filtered lenses for conditions like Albinism—can greatly enhance functional vision. However, proper low-vision therapy is necessary to ensure children learn how to use these aids effectively and reach their optimal visual potential.
Because low-vision devices are unique to each child and often need to be specially procured or imported, expanding low-vision services is essential. This includes 1) establishing new low-vision centers with trained professionals, 2) integrating low-vision services into existing eye care programs, and 3) providing access to customized low-vision aids.
By respecting the need for a complete Continuum of Care and integrating low-vision care into broader vision health initiatives, we can develop more comprehensive and sustainable approaches to child eye care worldwide, ensuring that every child with vision impairment has the opportunity to learn, thrive, and reach their full potential.
A comprehensive approach
By adopting multiple strategies, we can effectively support children with low vision, ensuring they receive timely interventions to improve their potential and quality of life. Integrating low-vision services into broader eye care programs will create sustainable and comprehensive solutions for child vision health worldwide.
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Research and Integration:
- Support research highlighting the significance of addressing low vision as a basic child development need.
- Advocate for integrating low-vision services into broader child health and development programs to ensure comprehensive care.
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School Screening Programs:
- Implement screening programs in schools for blind students and schools for children with disabilities to identify those with low-vision.
- Interventions such as surgery, spectacles, or low-vision devices should be provided to correct vision impairment.
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Promotion of LV Services:
- Promote the importance of low vision services within global refractive error initiatives to ensure inclusivity and comprehensive eye care.
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Integration within Optical Services:
- Integrate low-vision services within existing optical services to provide a holistic approach to vision care.
- Offer low vision aids and spectacles alongside refractive error correction services.
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Community-Based LV Services:
- Support projects aimed at establishing and investing in low-vision optical services closer to communities to enhance availability and accessibility.
- Focus on capacity building to ensure service quality and adequacy, drawing lessons from successful programs.
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Improving Access and Affordability:
- Support initiatives that improve access and affordability of low-vision devices in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including subsidization programs and partnerships with manufacturers.
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Data Collection and Planning:
- Fund projects that gather comprehensive data during the design and planning stages, including the prevalence of low vision among children, types of disabilities, familial relationships, and existing low-vision services.
- Use this data to tailor interventions effectively and allocate resources efficiently.
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Outcome Measurement:
- Improve outcome measures for low vision services to assess the effectiveness of interventions and ensure continuous improvement.
- Incorporate standardized assessment tools and patient-reported outcomes to capture the impact of low vision services on individuals' quality of life.