What’s happening: getting started


You’d think it would be pretty obvious when you beginning losing vision or having vision problems. But the human visual system is remarkably equipped to make the most with the least, and it’s easy to miss vision trouble until changes are quite far along. Two examples:

  • If one eye has areas of poor or no vision, it’s not uncommon to not even notice this because the other eye is making up for the lack of information coming from the bad eye.
  • Half the people with glaucoma don’t know it (yet). As glaucoma eats away at their peripheral vision their two moving eyes do a satisfactory job of maintaining adequate vision.

And, unfortunately, for many eye diseases there is no “cure” – when you discover your problem your doctor can work with you to try to stop the progression, but what’s lost is lost.

Becoming aware of how you are seeing and where problems with your vision lie is the first step in enhancing your quality of life. How do the tests relate to how you are seeing? How can you assess your vision? What might be causing troubles with your vision? Where can you find help with optimizing your vision?

To help understand what’s going on, you can learn here about:

Three key aspects of vision – acuity, contrast sensitivity and visual field – and common problems that arise with them. Understanding these aspects can lead you to potential solutions to vision problems associated with them. Aspects of vision

The different stages of visual processing, which present with very different kinds of problems. Stages of visual processing

Diseases of the eye and retina which can cause a number of specific visual problems. Identifying these problems is the first step in learning to cope with them and come up with strategies for maximizing your vision.Diseases and your vision

Several paths to follow for gaining a better understanding of the actual state of your vision and how it is affecting your day-to-day life.Assessing your vision

Frequently asked questions FAQ