Low vision describes any vision loss that can no longer be corrected to normal levels with standard glasses, contact lenses, medication, or surgery. In aged care, low vision is common — driven by macular degeneration, advanced glaucoma, diabetic eye disease, and cataracts that can no longer be safely treated. For these residents, the question shifts from 'can we restore the vision?' to 'how do we maximise function with the vision that remains?'.
Eye See You Optometry provides low vision assessments on-site as part of our regular mobile optometry visits. Our optometrists evaluate functional vision, identify the practical tasks the resident wants to maintain — reading, watching television, recognising faces, navigating their environment — and recommend specific aids, lighting changes, and environmental modifications that work in residential aged care.
We also coordinate with low vision services and connect residents and families to broader supports including Vision Australia and other state-based organisations where appropriate. The goal is practical: a resident who can still read large-print devotional material, recognise the staff member at their door, and find their way to the dining room is a resident with meaningfully better quality of life.
Low vision in aged care is rarely treated like the disability it actually is. Residents lose the ability to read, recognise faces, or follow television, and the response is often resignation rather than practical intervention. Yet small environmental changes — better lighting at the bedside, large-print clocks, contrasting tableware, the right magnifier — can transform daily life for a resident with low vision.
Beyond function, low vision has a profound impact on mood, social engagement, and falls risk. Residents who can no longer recognise faces tend to withdraw socially. Residents who cannot see clearly are more likely to fall, more likely to misjudge stair edges, and more likely to be confused at night. Treating low vision as a manageable condition rather than an inevitable loss changes outcomes across multiple care domains.
Our low vision assessments are practical and action-oriented. We don't issue a generic report — we recommend specific aids, specific lighting changes, and specific care plan adjustments that facility staff can actually implement.
Detailed assessment of how the resident actually uses their vision — reading speed, contrast sensitivity, glare tolerance, and visual field.
Specific, named recommendations for hand magnifiers, stand magnifiers, electronic magnifiers, and large-print devices appropriate to the resident's hands and abilities.
Practical lighting recommendations — task lighting, glare reduction, contrast enhancement — that facility staff can implement immediately.
Findings and recommendations are documented in formats that integrate with the resident's care plan and inform care staff.
Where appropriate, we coordinate referrals to Vision Australia and other state-based low vision services for additional support.
We brief families and Power of Attorney representatives on the resident's functional vision and the practical implications for daily life.
Specialist mobile optometry built around the realities of residential aged care.
Start with the resident's life: what do they want to be able to do that they currently struggle with?
Measure functional vision — not just acuity, but contrast, glare, and visual field
Trial specific aids during the visit so the resident and care staff can see what works
Make environmental recommendations that fit residential aged care reality, not idealised home environments
Document recommendations clearly so casual care staff can implement them on their next shift
Follow up at subsequent visits to refine recommendations as the resident's needs change