Low Vision Assessment

When glasses can’t do enough.

When age-related disease, glaucoma, retinal conditions, or diabetic retinopathy reduce vision to where glasses no longer help, a low vision assessment identifies what you can still see, what tools can help you do more with what you have, and how your overall eye care should be coordinated.

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6
licensed
optometrists
2
Ontario
clinics
Free
OHIP-covered
annual exam to age 19
20+
years
UO clinical experience
What It Is

More than an eye exam.

A low vision assessment is a specialised evaluation for people whose vision loss can’t be corrected with conventional glasses or contact lenses. We measure how you see in real-world conditions — reading, contrast, glare, peripheral awareness — and identify the assistive tools, lighting, and lifestyle adjustments that help you function more independently. The goal isn’t to “fix” the vision (your underlying disease is managed elsewhere); it’s to maximise what your remaining vision can do.

Functional Vision Testing

Beyond the standard eye chart; we evaluate reading speed, contrast sensitivity, glare tolerance, and field of useful vision.

Lifestyle and Goal Mapping

What tasks have become hard? Reading recipes, recognising faces, watching TV, navigating stairs? We prioritise what matters to you.

Device Demonstration and Trial

We walk through magnification options, electronic devices, and lighting changes so you can see what works before buying anything.

Who Benefits

Most patients are referred after a diagnosis.

Low vision assessment is rarely the first step in eye care — it usually follows a diagnosis from your ophthalmologist or family doctor. If your specialist has said “we’ve done what medicine can do; the vision loss is permanent,” that’s exactly when a low vision assessment helps most.

Macular Degeneration (AMD)

Both wet and dry; central vision loss makes reading, recognising faces, and detail work difficult.

Advanced Glaucoma

Peripheral vision loss reduces awareness; mobility and reading at the edges become harder.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Patches of vision loss, contrast issues, and reading difficulty even after laser or injection treatment.

Other Conditions

Stroke-related visual field loss, retinitis pigmentosa, congenital low vision, optic nerve disease, and others.

Your Visit

An unhurried hour or two.

Low vision assessments take longer than a standard eye exam — usually 60-90 minutes. We’re testing what you can do, not just measuring what’s missing, and that requires time. Bring the tools and tasks you struggle with: a book you wish you could still read, a recipe card, a phone with the text size you actually use.

History and Goals

What’s changed, what’s hardest, what would make the biggest difference if it improved.

Functional Vision Testing

Reading speed, contrast, glare, field of useful vision under different lighting.

Device Trial

Handheld magnifiers, stand magnifiers, electronic devices, large-print options, lighting demonstrations.

Plan and Follow-up

Written summary, recommended devices, follow-up schedule, and any referrals back to your specialist.

UVG Network Care

We assess. Our specialists treat.

U Optical’s role in low vision is assessment, device fitting, and ongoing optometric care. The disease causing your vision loss — whether glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, or something else — is managed by ophthalmologists at Uptown Eye Specialists. Our team coordinates directly with theirs so your low vision plan and your medical eye care work together.

Glaucoma Management at Uptown Eye

UES has fellowship-trained glaucoma specialists managing pressure control, laser procedures, and surgical intervention. Learn more about glaucoma care →

Retinal Disease and AMD

UES retina team includes vitreoretinal surgeons and medical retina specialists managing AMD (anti-VEGF injections), diabetic retinopathy, and complex retinal disease. Explore retinal care →

Continued Primary Care

Once your specialist has done what they can medically, we monitor stability with annual exams, update assistive devices as your needs change, and stay in touch with your specialist.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

No formal referral is required, but most patients come after a diagnosis from their ophthalmologist or family doctor. If you’ve been told ‘we’ve done what we can medically — your vision loss is permanent,’ that’s the right time to come. We coordinate with your existing specialists, so bringing a recent eye health summary helps but isn’t mandatory.

OHIP covers low vision assessments for adults 65+ as part of the annual eye exam benefit, and for adults 20–64 with documented qualifying medical conditions (diabetes, glaucoma, AMD, retinal disease, and others). Private insurance often covers low vision assessments and devices. We’ll verify coverage before your visit.

60–90 minutes — longer than a standard eye exam. We’re testing functional vision (reading, contrast, glare, peripheral awareness) and trying assistive devices, which both take time. Plan to spend most of a half-day with us and a companion if travel is hard.

Recent eye exam reports from your ophthalmologist if you have them. Current glasses or magnifiers you use. Examples of tasks you struggle with: a book you wish you could read, a recipe card, a phone showing the text size you actually use. The goal is testing what you can do with the actual things you do.

Yes — coordination is core to how we work. Your underlying disease (AMD, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, etc.) is managed by your ophthalmologist; we focus on assessment and assistive devices. We send a written summary of our findings back to your specialist’s office after the visit.

No — a low vision assessment doesn’t change the underlying disease or restore vision. What it does is identify the tools, lighting, and lifestyle adjustments that help you do more with the vision you have. Most patients are surprised at how much they can recover in function (reading, daily tasks, independence) even without recovering acuity.

Book an Assessment

Ready when you are.

Book an assessment online or call (416) 292-0336. Whether you’ve just received a diagnosis or you’re looking for practical solutions to vision challenges — we’re ready to help.

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