Category: Low Vision

The inside of a children's classroom representing an article about the support for students with low vision and blindness in Indiana

How Indiana Schools Support Students with Low Vision or Blindness

Posted on by midwestlowvision

If your child has low vision or blindness, school can present some challenges. Whether it is difficulty with reading the board, seeing print in handouts, or utilizing technology, a student with visual impairment shouldn’t have to work twice as hard to access the same education as their peers. Fortunately, Indiana families have options: legal protections, specialized educational services, assistive technologies, and other resources are available to help students succeed in the classroom and beyond. Read on to learn more about the support available to your student with low vision or blindness.

What Challenges Do Students with Low Vision or Blindness Face?

For students with visual impairment, learning is not as straightforward as “receive information and study.” It may be a struggle to read textbooks, see the board, navigate the school, use online materials, or simply keep up with the class without significant visual fatigue. Without support, students must spend extra effort trying to access information rather than focusing on learning.

What Legal Protections are Available for Indiana Students?

Eligible Indiana students with low vision or blindness are protected by federal law under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Indiana special education rules. Support is typically documented through an Individualized Education Program (or Plan) (IEP) or a 504 Plan. An IEP is a written plan developed by the student’s educational team that outlines the specialized instruction, services, and accommodations a student needs. A 504 Plan provides accommodations that allow students with disabilities to access education alongside their peers.

What Classroom Accommodations and Devices Can Help Students?

Accommodations are based on a student’s individual needs—not simply their diagnosis or visual-acuity measurement. For students with low vision or blindness, common supports might be:

  • Large-print, Braille, audio, or accessible digital materials
  • Magnification tools
  • Special glasses designed to improve visual function
  • Screen readers
  • Video magnifiers
  • Preferential seating
  • Improved classroom lighting
  • Additional time for assignments or tests
  • Visual breaks to reduce fatigue
  • Instruction from a teacher of students with visual impairments
  • Orientation and mobility training

The most effective accommodations are individualized. A tool that works well for one student may not be the best option for another.

Do Teachers and School Staff Receive Training?

Certainly, not every classroom teacher is trained in visual impairment, so specific staff training may need to be requested and included in an IEP. If your child is struggling, you should request a school evaluation in writing. I don’t recommend waiting for the school to recognize every problem, and you definitely don’t want to assume your child simply needs to try harder.

What Specialized Schools and Programs Exist?

You might already be familiar with the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI), but many would be surprised to know its role extends far beyond operating a specialized school.

ISBVI also supports students and educators in local school districts, provides short-term programs, and helps schools obtain accessible educational materials. Through outreach services, ISBVI works with students who attend their local schools by providing resources, training, and support to help meet their educational needs.

Additionally, BOSMA offers transition and employment services for eligible Indiana students ages 16 through 22. These programs can help students develop skills related to employment, independence, and future planning.

Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation can also often help cover the costs of special glasses, assistive devices, and other testing and services for older students.

Resources for Parents and Guardians

While managing a visual impairment comes with challenges, there are fortunately many resources to help. Here is a list of programs and organizations that offer assistance in navigating your child’s education:

Conclusion

I see children and adults from around the world who benefit from specialized low vision care right here at my offices in Indiana. So, call us at Midwest Low Vision at 877-577-2040, or reach out via our contact form, for advice on getting the help your child needs to see and function better. Thank you.

The inside view of a vehicle with a person's hands on the steering wheel with an image of a "Welcome to Indiana" sign overlaid representing an article about what to know about the vision exam for a driver's license in Indiana

What to Know About the Vision Exam for a Driver’s License in Indiana

Posted on by midwestlowvision

Whether you’re applying for a new driver’s license, or renewing an existing one, the vision screening is a critical step. For those with vision challenges though, this process can feel a bit confusing. What are Indiana’s standards? How is the test administered? What happens if you don’t pass the vision exam the first time around? Fortunately for Indiana residents, the state takes a more case-by-case approach to the vision requirements for a drivers license, and even if you have less-than-perfect vision, there may be a pathway to help you get on the road safely.

Why Are Vision Exams Necessary?

Driving is a visual task. Since we’re not at the point of completely autonomous vehicles (we’ve got a ways to go!), it remains necessary to be able to see well enough to operate a vehicle. The vision exam, administered in Indiana by the branch of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), confirms that a person can view stoplights and signage, maintain awareness of other drivers, and detect obstacles in time to respond defensively.

Who Needs to Take the Vision Exam in Indiana?

In Indiana, the vision exam is required for anyone applying for a learner’s permit or a license—whether you are getting a new license or just renewing. It’s possible to skip the vision screening at the BMV if you provide the Vision Screening Documentation, which is a form that must be filled out by a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist certifying that your vision is sufficient for safe driving.

What Are Indiana’s Standards?

Driving rules vary from state to state, which can cause a lot of confusion–especially for people with less-than-perfect vision. In Indiana, passing the eye exam is not “all or nothing.” Instead, each eye is considered independently, with varying combinations of vision levels permitted.

What is first looked at is whether a person requires glasses or contacts. If you do, there will be a Type B restriction on your driver’s license.

Common restrictions placed on a driver’s license include:

  • Type B: A type B restriction means that the driver must wear glasses or contact lenses when driving
  • Type F: A type F restriction indicates a need for outside rearview mirrors when driving
  • Type G: A type G driver is only permitted to drive during daylight hours

For those who drive without glasses, the standards are:

  • No restrictions: Both eyes are 20/20 to 20/40
  • Type F restriction: One eye is 20/20 to 20/40, while the other eye can be 20/50 to blind

For drivers who read with glasses, the requirements are:

  • Type B plus F restrictions: One eye must be 20/20 to 20/40, and the other eye can be 20/50 to blind
  • Type B restriction: It is permitted for both eyes to be 20/50
  • Type B plus F plus G restrictions: One eye must be 20/50, and the other eye can be 20/70 to blind
  • Type B plus F plus G restrictions: One eye 20/70, and the other eye can be 20/70 to blind (must show proof of normal peripheral vision)

Indiana’s approach allows for flexibility—matching restrictions to a driver’s unique level of vision rather than applying a one-size-fits-all rule.

How Is the Test Administered?

At the BMV, the vision screening is conducted using a tabletop device called the Optec 1000 DMV Vision Screener (made by Stereo Optical). This machine uses polarized filters which cause each eye to see a different set of letters, with some letters seen by both eyes. This test is designed to test the eyes both independently and together.

What Happens If I Fail the Eye Exam For a Driver’s License?

If you do not pass the vision screening at the BMV, this isn’t the final say that you cannot drive. It means that you will be given the Vision Certificate form and referred to an eye care professional for a comprehensive vision exam to determine whether your vision can be corrected with glasses or contacts. Once the information has been submitted and reviewed, the BMV may request more details, require a driving evaluation, add restrictions, or schedule future follow-ups. In some cases, it may happen that the BMV revokes driving privileges.

Can I Still Drive in Indiana If I Have Low Vision?

In some cases, yes, you can still drive in Indiana with low vision. While not everyone qualifies, Indiana offers a pathway to bioptic driving for individuals who meet specific candidacy, training, and certification requirements. Generally, this includes having at least one eye between 20/80 and 20/200 (with or without glasses or contacts), being able to achieve at least 20/40 vision through a bioptic telescope, and having normal peripheral and color vision. Along with these clinical requirements, candidates must also be motivated, cognitively intact, and medically stable. The process requires a commitment, and not every person is able to become a bioptic driver.

How Does the Bioptic Certification Process Work?

Becoming a bioptic driver in Indiana is a multi-step process involving both medical evaluation and hands-on training. The process generally looks like:

  1. Low vision evaluation: The first step is to have an evaluation with an optometrist specialized in low vision care. After a comprehensive evaluation, you will be fitted for bioptic telescopic glasses. After training with those lenses, your low vision doctor will assess whether you meet the requirements to be a licensed bioptic driver.
  2. If approved by your low vision doctor, you’ll work with a Certified Driving Rehabilitation Specialist (CDRS) to complete 30 hours of supervised training and progress toward your learner’s permit and driving test using your bioptics. This step is often facilitated through Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services.
  3. Driving test: Once you’re able to safely navigate on the road, the next step is to take the BMV driving test. If you pass this test, you will be issued a bioptic license, with regular recertifications required.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, the vision screening for a drivers license isn’t meant to unnecessarily restrict people from driving—it’s meant to ensure the safety of all drivers on the road. Whether you wear corrective lenses, drive with restrictions, or require bioptic glasses, there is likely a pathway for you. If you are a person with low vision and would like to learn more about bioptic driver certification, we’re here to help.

Image of glasses sitting on top of a book representing an article about why glasses can't fix my vision

Why Can’t Glasses Fix My Vision?

Posted on by midwestlowvision

One of the most frustrating moments for people is being told that your glasses prescription is up-to-date, yet… you still can’t see well. You may feel confused, discouraged, and also perhaps a bit skeptical. Aren’t glasses supposed to fix my vision? Was something missed? For many patients in this situation, the answer is unfortunately no. While glasses are powerful, they have limits. When vision loss is caused by disease or damage to the eye, “stronger glasses” will not fix the problem. In this article, we shed light on what glasses can and cannot do, explain what low vision means, share how to set reasonable expectations for your vision, and explore what devices and strategies CAN help when traditional glasses cannot.

So, What Vision Problems Can Glasses “Fix”?

Glasses work best when the main problem is focus—meaning, the eye is shaped in a way that causes images to land slightly in front of, or behind, the retina. In these cases, the eye’s “camera” is healthy, but the image is just not focused sharply.

Glasses can correct conditions such as:

  • Nearsightedness (myopia)
  • Farsightedness (hyperopia)
  • Astigmatism (irregularly shaped cornea or lens)
  • Presbyopia (age-related changes to close-up vision)

When vision problems are related to these focusing (refractive) errors, glasses can be very effective. Properly prescribed lenses will sharpen vision as much as possible, reduce eye strain, and may help with some mild magnification needs.

When Are Glasses Not Effective?

There is a common misconception that if you have blurry vision, glasses should “fix” the problem. This is not always the case, however. Vision problems can arise from refractive errors, but issues can also occur due to disease or damage inside the eye or visual pathways. Some of these conditions may include:

  • Age-related macular degeneration: This condition damages the macula, the central part of the retina, and results in loss of central vision.
  • Diabetic retinopathy: Diabetes can cause damage to retinal blood vessels, which can lead to bleeding, scarring, or distorted vision.
  • Glaucoma: Glaucoma causes damage to the optic nerve, often resulting in loss of peripheral (side) vision.
  • Retinitis pigmentosa: This is a genetic condition that gradually reduces side and nighttime vision.
  • Stroke/brain injury: Neurological damage from a stroke or other traumatic brain injury can disrupt how the brain processes visual information.

In these cases, the image can be “in focus” but still missing, distorted, dim, washed out, or broken up. Traditional glasses will not be able to replace missing central vision, restore damaged retinal cells or optic nerve fibers, fix blind spots, or eliminate distortion.

What is Low Vision?

When a person has a disease or damage that glasses cannot fix, that person can be described as having “low vision.” Low vision does not mean total blindness; rather, it takes the form of:

  • Central vision loss: This shows up as a blur, a gray spot, or a missing area of sight right in the center of your vision.
  • Peripheral vision loss: Bumping into things, trouble navigating crowded spaces, the feeling of “tunnel vision” all describe the experience of peripheral vision loss.
  • Distortion: In this case, a person may see straight lines as wavy, faces that look “melted,” or letters that warp their shape.
  • Low contrast: With low contrast, colors look faded, especially in dim light. A person may have trouble reading black-on-white text.
  • Light sensitivity or glare: Headlights, sunlight, or bright indoor lighting can be disabling.

Low vision describes the situation a person is in when vision challenges interfere with the ability to function successfully in daily life. If you’re thinking, “My eye doctor says my prescription is fine, but real life is hard,” that’s the gap that low vision care can address.

How to Manage Expectations with Low Vision

A big part of low vision care is setting realistic goals—and also eliminating unnecessary guilt. Many patients believe that if they just find the right glasses, they’ll be “normal” again. Or, they may feel they are not trying hard enough. Or, some feel that if they purchase a really expensive device they saw online, they’ll be “fixed.” Unfortunately, this thinking is a setup for disappointment. With low vision, a better mindset is: You may not get back to perfect vision, but you CAN regain function and independence with the right tools and strategies. Functional goals may look like:

  • Being able to read for 15-30 minutes at a time
  • Seeing your phone clearly again
  • Recognizing faces across the room (or at least in conversation distance)
  • Watching TV with less strain
  • Using a computer for email or browsing
  • Seeing prices, labels, and medication bottles
  • Improving safety on steps, curbs, and uneven ground

Success in low vision is measured by what you can do; it is NOT a number on an eye chart.

If Glasses Can’t Help, What Devices Can?

Low vision exams are not “one size fits all,” and the solution is not just “bigger print.” When you come in for a low vision appointment, we examine what part of vision is reduced (central, peripheral, etc.), discuss what tasks matter most to you, and determine which tools match your goals, budget, and lifestyle. These steps help us determine which devices would be most effective for you. Common low vision aids include:

  • High-powered reading glasses (sometimes combined with specific lighting)
  • Handheld and stand magnifiers
  • Electronic magnifiers (portable or desktop)
  • Computer/phone accessibility features (These are powerful, but often underused!)
  • Telescopes for seeing at a distance
  • Filters and glare control lenses
  • Training strategies, such as “eccentric viewing” (using a healthier part of the retina) and scanning techniques

Expensive Devices Don’t Automatically Mean Better

Some devices marketed out there to help low vision can be expensive—and the wrong device can be expensive even if the price is cheap. The goal, when identifying the right tools to remediate low vision, is to focus resources on the options that are truly useful for you. The aim is to match the right tool to:

  • Your visual condition and remaining vision
  • Your specific tasks
  • Your comfort and ability to use the device
  • Your real-world environment

A good low vision plan is practical. If a tool won’t realistically be used, it shouldn’t be purchased.

Final Thoughts

In summary, if you’re wondering, “Why can’t glasses fix my vision?”, the key is to examine what is causing the vision issue in the first place. If it is a focusing error, glasses can work for you. If the problem stems from disease or damage to eye structures, the path forward isn’t “stronger glasses”; it’s better tools, strategies, and expectations. It’s low vision care.

If daily tasks are getting harder for you even with your updated glasses, a low vision evaluation with us can help get to the bottom of what is happening and what can be improved. Give us a call at 877-577-2040, or contact us online.

Image of Dr. Long speaking in a video about "Not Blind Enough": Blindness is a Spectrum

“Not Blind Enough”: Low Vision and Blindness are a Spectrum

Posted on by midwestlowvision

A common frustration seen online, and one that I have heard many times in my own practice, is a patient saying “I’m not blind enough.” This may be the person expressing their own feelings, or it could be the patient repeating what someone said to them. On its face, this may seem like an unusual statement to make, but it actually reflects a very real and disheartening experience for people with low vision: a lack of understanding of what “blindness” actually means, and the resulting lack of support that people in this “gray zone” often experience. If this sounds all-too-familiar, this message is for you.

What Does “Not Blind Enough” Mean?

When people say they’re “not blind enough,” what they usually mean is this: they have too much vision to qualify for services, but not enough vision to function the way others seem to, or the way they used to function before they had visual impairment. They’re stuck in a gray zone between “disabled” and “normal”—because the vision loss isn’t always visible, others question it, whether silently or outright. Over time, that external doubt creeps in, and patients start questioning themselves. They tell me they feel like they’re overreacting, like they’re asking for help they don’t deserve, or like they should just try harder. And that emotional toll of not being seen, believed, or validated is very real, and one of the most overlooked parts of having low vision.

Blindness is a Spectrum: What Does Low Vision Mean?

From a medical standpoint, low vision is not about being legally blind, and it’s not about a single measurement on an eye chart. Low vision is about how your vision works or doesn’t work in real life despite glasses, contacts, surgery, or medical treatment. Clinically, low vision can mean decreased clarity of vision, reduced contrast, blind spots, glare sensitivity, poor night vision, or loss of peripheral vision in everyday life. What that looks like in day-to-day life is missing faces in a crowd, struggling in stores, airports or dim lighting, bumping into people or objects, not being able to read a menu, or feeling exhausted just trying to keep up.

What Can These Feelings Lead To?

When people live in this gray zone, something fairly predictable seems to happen—they start to withdraw. They stop going out, they stop asking for help, and they stop pursuing services that could actually help them function better, which often leads to social isolation and not getting the support they need.

Help for Those in the Gray Zone

To get through the day-to-day, some patients report carrying a cane or wearing a “visually disabled” button, not because they need these tools, but because they feel it gives other people permission to understand they have a disability.

Long-term, low vision care may help. And I want you to hear this message clearly: If your vision is interfering with your daily life, your reading, your mobility, your confidence or your independence, you are not imagining it, and you are not overreacting. You do not have to be legally blind to benefit from low vision care. You are blind enough to consider options that can help.

So talk to a low vision specialist. Learn more on our website, visit the International Academy of Low Vision Specialists website, or simply Google “low vision.” Help exists all over the world, and you deserve access to it.