Chris Albanis, MD, from Chicago Arbor Eye Institute, emphasises patient and family education as part of her work as a board-certified comprehensive ophthalmologist.
Relatives are sometimes the first to recognise that everyday tasks have quietly become more difficult.
A person may begin avoiding evening journeys, ask for help with labels, or seem less comfortable in unfamiliar surroundings.
None of these behaviours proves that an eye condition is present.
Fatigue, medication effects, hearing difficulties, balance problems, and other health changes can also influence daily habits.
However, a pattern of new workarounds is worth discussing. When choosing an ophthalmologist, Chicago families may find it helpful to look for someone who considers both eyesight and the way vision is affecting daily life.
An eye-chart result is useful, but it does not tell the whole story. Everyday difficulties may appear while recognising faces, following written instructions, moving around the home, or driving after sunset.
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The First Signs May Appear Around The Home
Gradual changes can be difficult for the person experiencing them to recognise. When sight alters little by little, people often adapt without making a conscious decision.
They may add another lamp, keep objects in very precise places, or rely on someone else for tasks that once felt straightforward.
For people whose sight loss has progressed to low vision, the National Eye Institute notes that reading, driving, recognising faces, distinguishing colours, and viewing screens can become more difficult [1].
Low vision refers to impairment that interferes with everyday activities and cannot be fully corrected with standard glasses, contact lenses, medicine, or surgery.
Research on ageing and vision also shows that reduced sharpness, poorer contrast, slower adjustment to dim light, and changes in visual processing can affect everyday activities [2].
Around the home, relatives might notice that a person:
- Turns on more lights during the day
- Hesitates when moving from a bright room into a dim one
- Has trouble finding objects on a patterned surface
- Misjudges the edge of a step or reaches for a wall
- Leaves spills or small items unnoticed
- Asks others to identify faces or read labels
- Keeps commonly used belongings in exact locations
These clues should be interpreted gently. Moving slowly on stairs may reflect arthritis, weakness, dizziness, or concern about falling rather than a problem with sight.
What matters is whether several changes have appeared together or a familiar task has become noticeably harder.
A supportive conversation can begin with an observation rather than a test. Saying, “I noticed the hallway seems harder to manage in the evening,” is likely to feel kinder than asking someone to prove what they can see. It gives them room to describe the difficulty without feeling criticised.
Reading, Television, And Phones Can Offer Useful Clues
Changes in reading habits are often easier to notice than a gradual decline in visual clarity.
A relative may stop reading books, hold mail farther away, use a magnifying glass, or ask someone else to check medication instructions.
Some changes in near vision are common with age [2]. Others can be related to cataracts, retinal conditions, dry eye, or another issue affecting the quality of sight.
An examination can help distinguish a focusing problem from a condition that may require medical attention [6].
In one study, people with central vision impairment reported difficulties using televisions, computers, and smaller portable displays [3].
In daily life, adaptations might include sitting closer to the television, enlarging digital text, increasing brightness, or relying more often on voice features.
Other useful clues include:
- Losing place while reading
- Confusing similar-looking numbers
- Struggling with pale print or low-contrast labels
- Complaining that words appear faded or crowded
- Avoiding bills, forms, recipes, or written instructions
- Taking much longer to complete familiar reading tasks
Helpful adjustments should not be discouraged. Larger text, stronger task lighting, reduced glare, and high-contrast settings can make reading and device use easier.
The question is whether important tasks can still be completed accurately and without excessive effort.
Medication labels deserve particular attention. Difficulty seeing a dosage, distinguishing two bottles, or checking an expiration date is worth addressing promptly.
Better lighting and organised storage may help, but repeated confusion should be discussed with a pharmacist, doctor, or eye-care professional.
Changes In Driving May Be Especially Revealing
Driving requires the eyes to process signs, lane markings, pedestrians, distance, movement, glare, and changing light in quick succession.
Someone may continue driving comfortably during the day while becoming uneasy at dusk, in rain, or around bright headlights.
A large U.S. study of adults aged 65 and older found that measured visual impairment was associated with driving cessation and with avoiding night driving, highways, and driving alone.
Nearly half of the older adults with visual impairment in the study avoided driving at night [4].
The findings do not mean every change in driving behaviour is caused by poor vision. They do show why a new pattern deserves attention.
Changes might appear when someone stops attending evening activities, asks another person to drive after sunset, or avoids unfamiliar roads and highways.
Families may also notice sudden braking near signs or junctions, missed turns on familiar routes, much slower driving in dim conditions, complaints about halos or headlight glare, or unusual tension after a journey.
These observations should not immediately become an argument about taking away the car keys.
Driving is closely linked to independence, privacy, social contact, and access to appointments. A calmer first step is to ask whether anything about driving has recently become uncomfortable.
An eye examination can help identify whether cataracts, an outdated prescription, glaucoma, retinal disease, or another condition may be contributing [6]. Medication, cognition, mobility, and general health may also need to be considered.
A sudden major change is different from gradual discomfort. New flashes of light, many new floaters, or a curtain-like shadow over part of the visual field can indicate a retinal tear or detachment.
The National Eye Institute advises people with these symptoms to seek immediate eye care or emergency attention [5].
What To Note Before The Appointment
Specific examples can make an eye appointment more useful. “Their vision is getting worse” provides less information than “They stopped driving at night three months ago and now need a brighter lamp to read instructions.”
Before the visit, note:
- When each change was first noticed
- Whether it developed gradually or suddenly
- Whether one eye appears more affected
- Activities that have become difficult
- Changes in reading, television, phone, or driving habits
- Problems with glare, dim lighting, colours, or judging steps
- Any flashes, floaters, shadows, pain, redness, or double vision
- Recent falls or near-falls
- Current glasses, contact lenses, medications, and medical conditions
- Previous eye diagnoses, procedures, or injuries
Include the person in this process whenever possible. Ask what they want help with rather than presenting a list of things they can no longer do.
Their priority may be reading, driving to church, recognising grandchildren, sewing, gardening, or using a tablet. Those goals help the clinician understand what better visual function would mean in practical terms.
Depending on the person’s needs, an eye examination may include visual-acuity and visual-field testing, pupil checks, eye-pressure measurement, and dilation so the doctor can examine the inside of the eye [6].
The exact tests depend on symptoms, age, medical history, and findings during the visit.
Chicago Arbor Eye Institute is a multi-location ophthalmology and optometry practice providing comprehensive examinations and care for cataracts, glaucoma, retinal conditions, corneal disease, dry eye, and other concerns [7].
Dr. Albanis is a comprehensive ophthalmologist whose official biography highlights patient and family education [8].
Family observations cannot replace an examination, but they can help make one more informative.
Noticing that a person has quietly changed how they read, move around the home, use screens, or drive may help reveal a problem they have gradually learned to work around.
References
[1] National Eye Institute. (2025). Low vision.
[2] Owsley, C. (2016). Vision and aging. Annual Review of Vision Science, 2, 255–271. DOI.
[3] Woods, R. L., & Satgunam, P. (2011). Television, computer and portable display device use by people with central vision impairment. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, 31(3), 258–274. DOI.
[4] Xu, S., Clarke, P., De Lott, L. B., Nguyen, M., & Ehrlich, J. R. (2025). Driving status, avoidance, and visual impairment among older adults in the United States. Journal of Transport & Health, 42, 102036. DOI.
[5] National Eye Institute. (2025). Retinal detachment.
[6] National Eye Institute. (2025). Get a dilated eye exam.
[7] Chicago Arbor Eye Institute. (n.d.). Facts about Chicago Arbor Eye.
[8] Chicago Arbor Eye Institute. (n.d.). Chris Albanis, M.D.
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