Is lighting important for people with low vision?

Correct lighting is as important as a low vision device. With no eye disorder, a 60–year–old person may need twice the illumination he or she needed at 20 to comfortably perform the same task.
Some lighting tips:

• Place the light source close to your reading material for greatest visibility.
• High intensity lights with adjustable arms work well for this purpose.
• Absorptive lenses are useful in controlling glare.

What is Strabismus?

Strabismus is a visual defect in which the eyes are misaligned and point in different directions. One eye may look straight ahead, while the other eye turns inward, outward, upward or downward. The turned eye may straighten at times and the straight eye may turn.

Strabismus is a common condition among children. It can also occur later in life. It occurs equally in males and females. Strabismus may run in families. However, many people with strabismus have no relatives with the problem.

What causes strabismus?

The exact cause of strabismus is not fully understood. Six eye muscles, controlling eye movement, are attached to the outside of each eye. In each eye, two muscles move the eye right or left. The other four muscles move it up or down and at an angle. To line up and focus both eyes on a single target, all of the muscles in each eye must be balanced and working together. In order for the eyes to move together, the muscles in both eyes must be coordinated. The brain controls the eye muscles. Strabismus is especially common among children with disorders that affect the brain, such as:

• Cerebral palsy.
• Down syndrome.
• Hydrocephalus.
• Brain tumors.

A cataract or eye injury that affects vision can also cause strabismus.