Side Vision Awareness Glasses

Hemianopsia, the loss of up to half the width of your field of vision, is one of the most common side effects of a stroke, tumor, or traumatic brain injury. It can leave you feeling disoriented and struggling just to make it through the day. People find themselves afraid to go out due to concerns about their safety.

Imagine taking a pen and drawing a line across the middle of your vision. Now imagine that you cannot see anything on one side of that line. This is what many people who have hemianopsia experience.

Side Vision Awareness Glasses (SVAG) are an advanced optical technology developed by Dr. Errol Rummel, that are now prescribed by specially trained low vision doctors throughout the United States and Canada. For a list of trained SVAG doctors, see the site

www.SideVisionAwarenessGlasses.com. SVAG enables people with side vision loss to perform daily activities more safely, and some patients who use SVAG may even be able to drive. The width of side vision improvement varies, and is determined during specialized testing.

SVAG can also help many people with constricted side vision loss due to eye diseases of the peripheral retina, like retinitis pigmentosa.

At Low Vision Optometry of Central Pennsylvania, we know how side vision loss can negatively impact your life, and as trained SVAG low vision optometrists, our goal is to keep you independent with the help of Side Vision Awareness Glasses.

What Are the Causes and Symptoms of Hemianopsia?

Hemianopsia can occur when there is damage to the optic nerves, optic chiasm or visual processing regions of the brain.

When any part of this system is damaged, the result can be partial or complete loss of vision in up to half the visual field.

 

Symptoms may include:

• bumping into objects, such as door frames, furniture, and people
• difficulty driving, especially when changing lanes or attempting to avoid objects on the side of the road
• frequently losing your place while reading or having trouble finding the start or end of a line of text
• difficulty finding or reaching for objects on desks or countertops, or in cabinets and closets

If you suspect you may have hemianopsia, speak with your low vision optometrist today.

What Are Side Vision Awareness Glasses?

Side-Vision Awareness Glasses (SVAG) were designed to assist people suffering from side vision loss. It is an effective low vision device that increases a patient’s viewing field. Having a wider field of vision greatly improves the patient’s safety and boosts their confidence and independence.

SVAG are made from customized lenses that have many advantages over standard prism optical lenses:

Flatter Lenses

SVAG are aesthetically pleasing because the area with the SVAG optics is barely noticeable.

Fewer Color Aberrations

SVAG have a high ABBE value, which helps reduce distracting color aberrations seen through other lenses. This increases your visual acuity and improves vision.

Better Contrast Sensitivity

SVAG provide improved vision because they offer better contrast sensitivity than the Fresnel lens-based prism glasses.

Easier To Use

SVAG are easier to use than the old technology button lens systems, and offer better side vision awareness than the old Fresnel prism glasses. This is because the Fresnel prism glasses provide a narrow peripheral image over your central vision — meaning you see two images at the same time — whereas SVAG provide only one image to view. This is much less confusing and easier to adapt to and learn to use.

Get your life back with Side Vision Awareness Glasses. Contact Low Vision Optometry of Central Pennsylvania for a SVAG evaluation so that you can experience a higher quality of life and function better with improved side vision awareness.

Low Vision Optometry of Central Pennsylvania serves patients from Lititz, Lancaster, York, and Hershey, throughout Pennsylvania.