According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over seven million people in the US alone suffer from severe vision loss or blindness. In the past, low vision was truly a life-altering condition. Those seemingly everyday tasks that were once so simple instead became difficult—whether one had to work, cook, read, drive, go out to shop, or even turn on a light switch, one’s world had been completely turned upside down. Today, however, things have begun to change. With the revolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) already underway, many of the major barriers caused by diminished or fully lost vision have been lessened or completely eliminated. In Low Vision Matters, authors Laura Stevens and Thomas Blackman provide a comprehensive guide to all the aids and equipment now available—along with important practical advice—to those who are vision-challenged.

The book is divided into two parts. Part One focuses on the day-to-day activities that low vision can affect—from safety in your home or traveling outside, to the handling of finances or one’s home entertainment system. It discusses the latest technologies that can enable a person with eyesight problems to turn on a light, start a dishwasher, or even answer a phone through the use of oral commands—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Part Two then provides a breakdown of the various kinds of helpful vision-aid products now available. Because the authors understand the costs involved in purchasing such equipment, they include the names of those organizations and associations in an extensive Resources section along with various other crucial contacts about which those with low vision and their loved ones and caretakers need to know.

Times have changed. Low Vision Matters provides a wealth of information that can vastly improve the daily life of a person living with vision loss or blindness.

Laura Stevens, MSci, received her master’s degree in nutrition science from the Department of Nutrition Science at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Since graduation, she had worked at Purdue as a researcher who investigated the relationship between diet and health disorders. As an author of nine successful books on diet, behavior, and allergies, Laura now deals with low vision herself. She lives with her amazing cats, Bentley and Seis, in Lafayette, Indiana.

Thomas Blackman, MHA, received a Master's degree in Blind Rehabilitation from Western Michigan University. Thomas provided Orientation & Mobility instruction at Bosma Enterprises in Indianapolis for several years. He then served as Founder and Director of the Assistive Technology program at Easter Seals Crossroads beginning in 1988. In 1998, he formed EYE Can See, Inc. in Indianapolis, which continues to provide adaptive hardware and software products for blind and low vision customers in Indiana and Kentucky. Thomas currently resides in Westfield, Indiana.

"[A] practical, potentially life-saving guide . . . The authors also promote working since, after all, vision doesn’t determine intelligence or skill level, and the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act provides protection. They also share an excellent list of resources, including the American Council of the Blind Job Connection, the Free White Cane Program, and Guide Dogs for the Blind."