Don’t let poor vision keep you from enjoying the final weeks of summer. With a few modifications to your daily routines, you can live a less-stressed August. The following tips from the American Occupational Therapy Association can help you function more efficiently both in and out of your home and possibly even improve your visibility.

An easy place to start is in your own living space. Begin by removing litter, cords, and small rugs. Keeping frequently used objects in each room in one easy-to-access place can be helpful. To make your transition between rooms as safe as possible, use proper lighting in hallways, walkways, and stairwells.

If you get up often during the night, use flashlights, night lights, and hall lights for navigation. However, avoid moving quickly from dark to light environments and vice versa; allow your eyes time to adapt to varying light levels. Use overhead lighting to abolish shadows, keep rooms uniformly lit, and use shades to reduce glare.

If you have equipment that helps you move around your house, make sure the color of that equipment contrasts with the color of the walls and floors. Using contrast to distinguish between household items, such as a light plate on a dark countertop, is another easy strategy to help improve your visibility during everyday activities.

Getting ready in the morning can also be difficult with poor eyesight, so try to sort your clothes by color, keeping similar colors far apart, and use labeled tray partitions to hold cosmetics and other small items.

If you take medication, reading those small prescription labels may become challenging. When filling prescriptions at a pharmacy, request large-print labels for the container. In addition, use large-print pill boxes to sort your weekly medication, and try to mark each pill bottle in a distinctive way to make it easier to identify. Some examples include painting each container with a different nail polish color or tying each one with a different colored rubber band.

Managing your finances can also become tricky once your eyesight worsens since reading is much more difficult. Keep bills and essential papers in different colored folders with large labels. Additionally, take advantage of adaptive tools such as large-print checks and magnifiers. If you continue to find reading challenging, try to pay your bills and track your bank accounts online, where you can amplify the font size in the internet browser window.

If you live with low vision and need additional guidance on modifying your daily activities, an occupational therapist can teach you new skills, help you avoid accidents, and adjust your environment. Ask your doctor about how occupational therapy can assist you with the specifics of making these changes.

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