National Eye Institute

What resources and strategies can help people perform daily tasks at home?
At home, people need devices that can help them read, write, and manage the tasks of daily living. These adaptive devices include adjustable lighting, prescription reading glasses, large-print publications, magnifying devices, and closed-circuit televisions.

People can place colored tape on the edges of steps to help them see the steps and prevent a fall. Dark-colored light switches and electrical outlets can provide contrast on light-colored walls. Motion lights that automatically turn on when someone enters a room are helpful. Telephones, clocks, and watches with large numbers can help people use those instruments more easily.

Visual devices can help people with low vision, such as reading glasses with high-powered lenses and reading prisms, telescopes and telescopic spectacles, and reversed telescopes for visual field defects. These devices must be prescribed by eye care professionals, and patients must be trained to use them properly.

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