Focused inSights 2024: Low Vision

The Focused inSights: Low Vision 2024 report from The Vision Council offers a comprehensive exploration of the experiences, needs, and perspectives of individuals living with low vision—as well as those who care for them. By combining quantitative survey data with qualitative focus group insights, this report provides a nuanced understanding of how patients and caregivers navigate diagnosis, treatment, access to information, and daily life. The findings shed light on the emotional, clinical, and logistical challenges facing this underrepresented patient population, helping the vision care industry identify areas for improved education, communication, and support.

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Report Methodology

This mixed-methods study includes two components:

• Qualitative: Two 90-minute focus groups were conducted in February 2024 with 20 total participants (adult patients and caregivers of children with low vision).

• Quantitative: An online survey was conducted March 22–25, 2024, with a nationally representative sample of 101 respondents—66 adult low vision patients and 35 primary caregivers of children with low vision. The survey has a margin of error of ±9.8 percentage points.

Key Findings

Diagnosis and Access to Specialists

Most patients (90%) are diagnosed by eye care providers, primarily optometrists and ophthalmologists. However, only 64% are referred to additional specialists following diagnosis—though referral rates are higher among more recently diagnosed individuals.

Information-Seeking Behavior and Knowledge Gaps

Doctors are the leading source of information (72%), but caregivers—especially younger ones—rely heavily on search engines and online communities. While 58% of respondents report feeling informed about low vision products and treatments, that rate drops to 34% among adults aged 65+.

Treatment Tools and Product Use

Patients utilize a variety of assistive tools such as screen magnifiers, light-filtering lenses, and audio books. Treatments include prism lenses, medications, and support services. Caregivers and patients alike cite difficulty accessing specialists, insurance barriers, and overwhelming medical terminology as ongoing challenges.

Why It Matters

As the population of Americans with low vision grows—due to age-related conditions and increased diagnosis rates—so does the need for better tools, language, and provider education. This report gives voice to the lived experiences of patients and caregivers and identifies actionable opportunities for providers, manufacturers, and policymakers to enhance support across the vision care ecosystem.

Report Delivery

The report will be delivered as a downloadable PDF.

To request a presentation-ready version or discuss key findings, please contact The Vision Council’s Research Team.