Introduction to Your Vision

It’s important to understand your vision and how to maintain the health of your eyes. Perhaps you've spoken with your doctor about the cause of your vision impairment, but still have questions and would like to learn more. You might be wondering if your eye condition is progressive or if it can be passed on to your children, and what treatments are available. Or maybe you'd like advice on how best to talk with your doctor about your concerns.

The Internet is rich in information, but it’s not always easy to know which sites are the most reliable and up-to-date. In this section of our site, we provide links to reputable resources on vision health and vision care.

See the page Eye Conditions for links to information on specific eye conditions, including:

Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Cataract
Glaucoma
Diabetic Retinopathy
Floaters
Retinal Detachment
Retinitis Pigmentosa
Retinopathy of Prematurity

See the page Eye Care Professionals -- Who Does What? for resources on what different eyecare professionals do and how to make your eye appointments productive.

The Hadley School for the Blind offers a number of extension education courses on vision and health. Here is a list of sample courses and a link to the School’s website:

Diabetes: Towards Self Management

This course will help you to understand the issues involved in managing your diabetes effectively. It is based on information from the American Diabetes Association and consists of 10 lessons.

Glaucoma

In this course, you will learn about how the eye works and about the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma. It also covers the emotional impact of vision loss. This course consists of 5 lessons.

The Human Eye

Hadley offers 3 courses on the human eye. These courses help you to learn about the anatomy of the eye, how it functions, and various eye diseases and treatments. Each course consists of 10 lessons.

Macular Degeneration

This course explains the diagnosis and risk factors of macular degeneration. It also addresses lifestyle adaptations and how to make maximize use of vision. This course consists of 5 lessons.

To find how to register for a course, visit the Hadley School website.