AIM: To analyze the reasons of low vision and blindness in elderly patients and the application of optical aids in rehabilitation.

METHODS: Totally 87 elderly patients which had 74 cases of low vision, 13 cases of blind, including 53 males and 34 females. Routine internal and external eye examinations should be performed, and special removal examinations should be performed if necessary. Both refractive correction, and try with far and near optical aids, check after wearing a typoscope distant and near vision, distant vision ≥0.05 out the blindness, distant vision ≥0.3 out the disability. Near vision ≥ 0.5 was valid, <0.5 was invalid.

RESULTS: Among 87 elderly patients with low vision, high myopia was the leading cause of blindness, followed by macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. The visual acuity after refractive correction increased ≥ 2 lines in 62 cases(71%), visual acuity was not correct or corrected for ≤ 1 of 25 cases(29%). With aids, far visual was ≥0.3 of the 70 cases(80%), ≥0.05 in 10 cases(11%), <0.05 in 7 cases(8%), residue removal rate of 92%. With reading glasses near and near visual acuity was >0.5 effective in 60 cases(69%), <0.5 ineffective in 27 cases(31%). Typoscope was often used in 58 cases, not often used 18 cases, 11 cases rarely used or give up.

CONCLUSION: High myopia is the leading cause of low vision and blindness in the elderly, followed by macular degeneration. The application of visual aids is still reliable and economical and effective treatment method, patients should be encouraged to use visual aids to improve the utilization rate of aids, so as to improve the quality of life of patients.