Blind & low vision
Losing sight is not losing your future. With skills, access and community, life stays full.
By the numbers
How common vision loss is, and why support matters.
United States
Work
World
Blindness & low vision
Many causes, many experiences, full lives.
About 50 million American adults say they have trouble seeing even with glasses or contacts, or are blind. Some were born blind; many lose vision later in life. People who are blind or have low vision work, raise families, travel, create and lead in every part of society.
The National Eye Institute describes low vision as a vision problem that makes everyday activities hard and usually cannot be fully corrected with glasses, contacts or surgery. Common causes include age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, diabetic eye disease and glaucoma.
Adjusting to vision loss
Grief, fear and finding your way forward.
Losing vision later in life can feel like losing freedom: driving, reading, recognizing faces. It is normal to grieve these changes. Many people move through shock, sadness, anger and worry before they find new ways of doing things.
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You may miss small things most: reading a menu, seeing a grandchild’s face, driving to the store. Giving yourself room to feel this is part of adjusting.
What can help
- Name what you miss, out loud or in writing
- Talk with people who have been through vision loss
- Notice what you can still do, and what you are learning
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CDC notes that vision loss has been linked to loneliness, social isolation, and feelings of worry, anxiety and fear. These feelings make sense, and they often ease as skills and confidence grow.
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Family members may want to do everything for you, out of love. Too much help can make it harder to build confidence. Honest talks about what you want help with, and what you want to do yourself, protect both independence and closeness.
Vision loss & mental health
Why mood matters, and small steps that help.
CDC reports that about 1 in 4 adults with vision loss reported anxiety or depression. Much of that stress comes from barriers in the world around a person, like inaccessible websites, transport or jobs.
CDC also found that younger adults with vision loss had almost 5 times the risk of serious anxiety or depression compared with older adults with vision loss. CDC recommends that people with vision loss be screened for depression and anxiety.
Small steps CDC suggests
- Add movement to your day
- Eat well
- Manage chronic health conditions with your care team
- Talk with your doctor about family history, and about any anxiety or low mood
Accessibility in daily life
When the world is not built with you in mind.
Forms that do not work with screen readers, menus with tiny print, apps with unlabeled buttons, and places with no clear paths can turn simple tasks into exhausting ones. Day after day, these barriers add up to stress and frustration.
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- Accessible ride and delivery services
- Apps that describe surroundings or read text aloud
- Braille, large print and audio formats
- Screen readers and magnifiers on phones and computers
- White canes and guide dogs
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Ideas from the National Eye Institute
- Use brighter lighting at home or work
- Wear anti-glare sunglasses outdoors
- Use a magnifying lens for close-up tasks
- Adjust phone and computer settings to increase contrast, enlarge text or read aloud
Skills & vision rehabilitation
Training and support to live life on your own terms.
Training in new skills, like cane travel, braille and using technology, helps many people regain confidence and independence. The National Eye Institute says a vision rehabilitation specialist can help you learn to live with vision loss, including using magnifying devices, arranging your home and setting up phone or computer features.
Where to look
- Low-vision clinics (ask your eye doctor for a referral)
- Organizations run by blind people, which offer mentoring and peer support
- State vocational rehabilitation and blindness services
- Training centers that teach independent living skills
Work, school & expectations
Low expectations can hurt as much as physical barriers.
In 2025, about 42% of women and 38% of men aged 16–64 with vision difficulty were employed, compared with 66% of women and 75% of men without a disability. Inaccessible hiring, transport and assumptions about what blind people can do all play a part.
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Feeling included is about more than access. It is about being invited, expected and valued. Assuming someone cannot work or travel alone can chip away at confidence.
What can help
- Blind mentors who have done what you want to do
- Practicing how to talk about accommodations with confidence
- Vocational rehabilitation services for job training
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Students may need textbooks in braille, audio or accessible digital formats, and extra time for some tasks. Disability services offices at colleges, and school support plans for younger students, can help.
Peer support & blind-led community
Learning from people who have been there.
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), founded in 1940, is the oldest and largest nationwide organization of blind Americans, with affiliates and chapters in every state. It is led by blind people and offers mentoring, including for blind parents.
The American Council of the Blind (ACB) is another national membership organization, with affiliates and chapters across the country where people can connect, share tips and advocate together.
Your right to accessible information
What the ADA says about braille, large print and screen readers.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), state and local governments, and businesses and nonprofits that serve the public, must provide aids and services when needed to communicate effectively. These include information in large print, braille, or electronic formats that work with screen-reading software.
Things you can ask for
- Accessible digital forms and documents
- Braille or large-print materials
- Help reading and filling in forms
- Someone to describe visual information, like a chart or sign
How to include & support
Belonging at home, at school, at work and with friends.
Ways to help
- Speak directly to the person, not to their companion.
- Say who you are when you start talking, and when you leave.
- Ask before helping, and accept the answer.
- Describe what is happening around you if they would like that.
- Do not pet or distract a working guide dog.
- Share documents in accessible formats.
When and where to get help
Signs it’s time to reach out, and where to start.
Reach out if
- Sadness, worry or fear has lasted two weeks or more
- You have stopped doing things you used to enjoy
- You feel hopeless, or like a burden
- You have any thoughts of hurting yourself
Where to start
- Talk to your clinical provider or eye doctor about how you are feeling.
- Ask for a referral to a counselor and to vision rehabilitation.
- Connect with a blind-led peer group.
📝 Worksheets for this guide
Fill these in privately in the app. Your answers stay on your phone.
Sources
- American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). Statistical Snapshots from the American Foundation for the Blind
- American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) (2025). Employment Statistics for People who are Blind or Visually Impaired
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2024). About Vision Loss and Mental Health
- National Eye Institute (NEI), NIH. Low Vision
- World Health Organization (WHO) (2026). Blindness and vision impairment (fact sheet)
- National Federation of the Blind (NFB). About Us
- American Council of the Blind (ACB). American Council of the Blind
- U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division (ADA.gov). ADA Requirements: Effective Communication
This guide is for education and self-care. It is not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional care. Please talk to a counselor or clinical provider about your health. Reviewed October 2026.
