Diffuse Visual Field Defects / Field Cut – Low Vision

A range of conditions can cause low vision, including diseases of the eye such as cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration. Low vision can also result from optic nerve damage sustained during a stroke or a brain injury. Also referred to as “visual field defects” or “visual field cut,” this condition can have a devastating impact on a person’s daily life. Luckily, low vision can now be addressed with newly developed treatment / therapy options.

• Types of Visual Field Defects / Low Vision
• Symptoms of Low Vision
• Low Vision’s Impact on Daily Life
• Low Vision Therapy
• Learn More about Low Vision and Treatment

Types of Visual Field Defects / Low Vision

The terms ” low vision” or ” visual field defects” refer to a range of conditions, including:

• Diffuse visual field defects: overall blurred vision
• Tunnel vision (constriction): objects in the center of the visual field are visible, but those on the edges are not
• Multiple field loss: areas of darkness that appear to be scattered around objects
• Scotoma: a blind spot
• Hemianopia (hemianopsia): low vision or blindness in half of the visual field
• Quadrantanopia (quandrantopsia): low vision or blindness in one quarter of the visual field

Symptoms of Low Vision

In addition to the overall blurring, tunnel vision, blind spots, and the other visual field defects described above, sufferers of low vision or visual field cut may experience a loss of central vision or a constant need for more light. Thankfully, advances in low vision therapy and treatment options can help relieve these symptoms.

Low Vision’s Impact on Daily Life

Depending on their type and severity, visual field defects can leave a person’s daily life unaffected, or, conversely, completely erode a person’s ability to maintain a normal existence. Patients suffering from visual field defects may experience:

• Trauma, frustration, depression, and unemployment
• Inability to drive safely, read quickly, or comfortably view a TV or computer screen
• Difficulty recognizing faces
• Difficulty reading, sewing, fixing things, and other activities that require up-close vision

Low Vision Therapy

Methods of visual field cut and low vision treatment are geared toward maximizing the vision patients have left as well as restoring some of the vision they have lost. The ultimate goal is to bring patients greater independence and quality of life.

A wide range of patients experiencing low vision are candidates for vision therapy. There is no required amount of visual acuity a patient must have to qualify for low vision treatment, nor any required amount or degree of visual field defects.

Learn More about Low Vision and Treatment

To learn more about types of visual field defects, vision rehabilitation after stroke and brain injury, and how vision rehabilitation works, please browse our website or contact NovaVision™ by email or by calling 1.866.414.0009.