Home Safety Tips for People with Low Vision: Live Independently and Avoid Falling

A reader named Barbara, who has low vision, asked about safety tips that would help her live independently. I did some research and found that low vision is fairly common among older adults.

Low vision or blindness affects approximately 1 in 28 Americans over the age of 40, and that risk increases significantly with age—especially among people over 65. Today, 6.5 million Americans over age 65 have a severe visual impairment, and experts predict that by 2030 the rate of severe vision loss will double along with the country's aging population. If, like Barbara, you have low vision, these safety tips for people with low vision will help you perform everyday tasks more easily while reducing your risk of falling and other injuries.
_{Photo courtesy of Kat Callard}