Patients living with visual impairment

Patients with visual impairment experience barriers to accessing health careVisual impairment encompasses a wide range of deficits, from reduced visual acuity to visual field deficits to blindness.People with visual impairment are more likely to lack a primary care provider, report unmet health needs, and face cost-related barriers to care. 1 People who are blind have higher rates of hospital admission and increased mortality than the general population. 2,32 Health care providers should introduce themselves and speak directly to the patient with visual impairment People with sight loss report being treated as incompetent and not being addressed directly by their health care providers. 4Providers should clearly introduce themselves each time, state their role, and speak directly to the patient -not to the patient's companion.