Experts are projecting that one in 28 Americans will feel the effects of low-vision problems by 2020, yet only about 15 percent of people who have low vision are referred to low-vision care.

Vice-Chair of The Vision Council and low vision expert Richard Tapping offers tips to regain your independence. He say a person with low vision may need four to five different tools to do their daily tasks. Some of the best entry-level options for low vision will help you reclaim your lifestyle. Here are some additional suggestions:

Better lighting: “If you put illumination over printed material, it may help improve your ability to read. An elderly person requires nearly three times as much light as a 20-year-old. A person who is visually impaired will need even more lighting,” says Noon.

Low-vision eyeglasses: “Most people want glasses because that’s what they are used to using, but they don’t know that low-vision glasses are available,” explains Tapping. “Whereas a typical eyeglass lens power is 2-1/2 to 3 diopters, a low-vision rehabilitation specialist can prescribe glasses that go up to 80 diopters in a lens.” Eye doctors who do not perform low-vision rehabilitation do not prescribe these special glasses.