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Visual aids: to improve your eyesight

Visual aids: to improve your eyesight

Visual aids – to improve your eyesight

At a sehhilfe It is an optical, or alternatively an opto-electronic device, which is used to compensate for weaknesses of the eyes in the eyesight. The best known are the visual aids Glasses and contact lenses, however, loupes or their eyewear variants fall under the visual aids. Why a visual or reading aid must be worn, what you should pay attention to when buying, in the reimbursement by the health insurance and in everyday life, read with us.

What is a visual aid?

If the natural vision of the eye in everyday life or at work is not enough and you no longer see well, it is called a poor eyesight. This can be the case, for example, if you poorly recognize distant objects (myopia) or if you no longer see objects close to them (for example when reading) (long-sightedness).

Depending on the ametropia you are suffering from, help to magnify or focus objects is necessary. Even with many eye diseases, visual aids are used to compensate or even produce vision.

However, they can also be used to observe either very small structures that are too small for the resolution of the human eye, or very distant objects that are no longer recognizable by the distance even to the healthy eye.

Vision aids include:

For individual situations, magnifying vision aids in the form of a magnifying glass or even magnifying glasses are used.

Diopter of ametropia

When one speaks of a poor sight, this usually goes with the determination of diopter (dpt). This is a unit of measurement for the refractive power, which is sometimes called refractive power. The diopter was introduced in 1872 by a French ophthalmologist named Ferdinand Monoyer.

In order to correct the refractive power, which usually gradually decreases after the age of 25, visual aids are used. This can be, among other things, normal glasses or contact lenses for everyday life, but also a reading aid, which is used only for this purpose.

Which visual aid is used when

Depending on the ametropia, different corrective measures are used.

  • hyperopia is corrected with collective lenses
  • (Alternatively you can laser hyperopia)
  • Myopia becomes corrected with diverging lenses
    • (Alternatively you can laser myopia)
    • Astigmatism / astigmatism is corrected with toric lenses
      • (Alternatively, astigmatism can be lasered)

        • Frequently asked questions about eye lasers are answered in the following video:

        If you are short-sighted, it is advisable to use glasses or contact lenses to survive in everyday life. This is very important, among other things, as a car driver, but also in the workplace, the selected visual aid can be very relevant.

        If you are just a little far-sighted (for example, because of presbyopia), then magnifying vision aids are often sufficient, which are often used only when reading.

        Visual aids in everyday life – from binoculars to driving with visual aid

        Anyone who does not (yet) wear glasses may never have considered how eyeglasses, lenses and the like affect everyday life. The fact is that a visual aid is a great, if not absolutely necessary support. But the fact is that when wearing this visual aid, something must be considered.

        • Binoculars / binoculars: If you want to use binoculars as a glasses wearer, that’s not so easy. Either the glasses are pressed or the image of the binoculars is barely visible to you. Better are quality binoculars (or a spotting or a monocular for just one eye), which has a focusing wheel, with which the own Dioptrienzahl can be compensated. Only with a stronger astigmatism, it becomes difficult even with these devices. In this case, you have to put on binoculars, which have a very far outward exit pupil, so you can also make observations with glasses.
        • Special devices: For special devices (for example a VR goggles or Google GlassIncidentally, a defective vision is not a problem. For VR glasses, glasses usually fit comfortably underneath and at Google Glass there are special models only for eyeglass wearers. This correction glasses are used to compensate for the ametropia, but still not to give up the features of Google Glass. Also a monocle is quite as a special device to titled, but there are also some versions in different levels of vision, for example, to use the monocle as a reader.
        • Microscope and telescope: Similar to the binoculars, there are also in this category certain models that are suitable for eyeglass wearers. In many devices, the fine-tuning can be changed and the refractive error (short-sightedness and hyperopia) can be compensated so that you can use the microscope or telescope without glasses. If you have a corneal curvature, you need to find out about devices that manufacturers have eyepiece eyepieces on offer. Even better, however, would be the use of a contact lens to completely solve the problem for this situation.
        • Visual aids for athletes: In sports, the conditions are different than many other activities. The sweat runs, the head wobbles back and forth and in the stupidest case fog the lenses, so that the sport becomes frustration. Many athletes put in this case on the proven contact lens and deliberately refrain from wearing glasses. Whether a lens comes into question for you, everyone must decide for themselves >

        Visual aid while driving & Driver’s license registrations

        Driving a car is not just about your own feelings, but above all about safety. Depending on the ametropia, there is a Sehhilfenverordnung, which means that you need a driving license visual aid. In plain language: driving a car without glasses would not be allowed in the case, since the visual aid also with a Note in the driver’s license must be registered. Already during the driving license registration you must also pass an eye test, so that it can be clarified whether driving with visual aid or without assistance is appropriate.

        If you need to wear glasses, the visual aid must be registered by force – in this case, you can still use contact lenses, but you must explain why you do not wear glasses. The EU driving license now has certain key figures describing the different situations. For example, 01 indicates that the driver has a visual acuity of less than 70 percent and therefore must wear a visual aid. All key numbers and their meaning are listed on Wikipedia.

        Depending on your eyesight, you can also delete the entry, but here are some details to note. Depending on the strength, an opinion from the ophthalmologist is necessary in order to have the vision aid removed. The best way to get advice from your ophthalmologist – even before a driver’s license in terms of visual aids or driving license visual aid.

        Reimbursement and tax – you need to know

        If you need help correcting low vision, which goes well beyond a magnifying glass, then you can contact your health insurance provider to find out what services are available in which case.

        It is not always necessary to take out additional insurance, as many health insurance companies already offer visually impaired people (at least the younger ones) good services. In this case, however, you should consider carefully before acquiring suitable products and above all inform yourself about which services are covered by your statutory or private health insurance.

        For example, glasses are not standard on most health insurances. However, this is often not true for children under the age of 18 or for people who have very poor eyesight. These people are mostly exempt from the restriction and are in any case entitled to financial help to see.

        Nationwide, it is the case that the health insurance (if at all) only for the glasses (and only for fixed amounts, so standard glasses) and for frames on the other hand subsidized nothing. In the case of adults, it is often the case that (if anything is taken over) a separate area has to be financed. However, this depends entirely on your health insurance company and your situation, so it is not possible to make a blanket statement in this regard. When eye lasers, the cost coverage by the health insurance is even stricter.

        For contact lenses, things look a bit more difficult. These are known to be much more expensive than a magnifying glass, but very useful in everyday life – especially in sports or in certain occupations. The costs are often covered by the insurance only if they are medically necessary and financially comparable to the lenses that would be used for the insured. The right care product for your contact lenses, if the lenses themselves are taken over, but you have to pay in any case.

        In any case, find out about the help you are entitled to. Especially with children, it may be advisable to negotiate a little here. In some cases, for example, shatterproof and much lighter glasses for children are offered on prescription and thus taken over, if it has been made clear by the doctor that a school and sports glasses for the child is appropriate.

        Last tip: If you have to pay for a pair of glasses yourself, are these costs actually tax deductible? In most cases, “medical expenses”, which include not only glasses, but also dentures or medicines, can be claimed as an extraordinary burden on the tax office. It is important to know that often not the entire amount is counted, but only the “unreasonable burden”. How much this limit is set depends on income. If the costs to be claimed exceed this excess, then the cost of the glasses may be claimed.

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        Christina Cherry
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