Mary is slowly losing her "straight-ahead" vision, which allows her to read and recognize faces. She has age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease that affects central vision.

While Mary's eye care professional has reassured her that she will not lose her vision completely, she is frustrated because she does not see as well as before.

Mary thought that nothing she did would help. Then her eye care professional suggested that she see a specialist in low vision.

There are a wide variety of devices that help people make the most of their remaining vision. The specialist recommended special magnifying devices for Mary that helped her see things more clearly.

Mary also went to a vision rehabilitation program that taught her new ways of doing tasks. Someone from the program came to Mary's home to see what changes could be made. She also learned about helpful devices, such as talking clocks that tell the time with a press of a button. Large print books and publications made it easier to read and allowed Mary to keep enjoying one of her favorite activities.