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ABOUT VISION LOSS

• VA’s Office of Blind Rehabilitation Services

estimates there are approximately 157,000 

Veterans in the United States who are 

legally blind, and more than a million 

Veterans who have low vision that causes 

a loss of ability to perform necessary daily 

activities. 

• Among Veterans who have served in

Iraq and Afghanistan, blast-related brain 

injuries can be followed by vision problems 

such as blurred vision, double vision, 

sensitivity to light, and difficulty reading. 

VA estimates that as many as 64 percent 

of service members with traumatic brain 

injuries (TBIs) also have a vision problem.

• Throughout the nation, VA operates

13 Blind Rehabilitation Centers (BRCs). 

These are residential inpatient training 

programs that help Veterans adjust to their 

blindness. BRCs offer a variety of courses 

designed to help blinded Veterans achieve 

a realistic level of independence.

• The Visual Impairment Center to Optimize

Remaining Sight (VICTORS) program 

complements existing BRCs to support 

Veterans who are not blind but have 

significant visual impairment. VICTORS 

provides rehabilitation through offering 

definitive medical diagnosis and functional 

visual evaluation, prescribing low-vision 

aids and training Veterans in their use, and 

providing counseling and follow-up.

VA RESEARCH ON VISION LOSS: 

OVERVIEW

• VA research projects in the area of vision

loss and vision restoration cover the entire 

spectrum of Veterans’ needs. 

• In addition to developing vision-restoring

treatment, VA investigators are designing 

and improving assistive devices for 

those with visual impairments, as well as 

doing work on a number of innovative 

wayfinding systems to help Veterans 

with vision loss navigate in various 

environments and perform everyday tasks. 

• Investigators are also developing more

accurate and efficient methods of vision 

testing, and are studying the connections 

between injury and vision loss in eyes that 

have suffered no overt damage.

• VA’s Atlanta-based Center for Visual

and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation is 

focused on enhancing Veterans’ health by 

conducting research on the rehabilitation 

of visual and related neurological 

impairments.

• Researchers at the VA Center for the

Prevention and Treatment of Visual Loss, 

located at the Iowa City VA Health Care 

System, focus on the early detection 

of potential blinding disorders of the 

Veteran and general population. These 

include retinal disease, glaucoma, and 

TBI. Researchers at the center test new 

ways of determining early signs of disease 

progression and response to treatment. 

They also develop new treatments.

SELECTED MILESTONES AND 

MAJOR EVENTS

1947 – Developed the first mobility and 

orientation rehabilitation training program 

for blind persons

1948 – Established the first Blind Rehabilitation Center for Veterans in Hines, Ill.

1975 – Developed the C-5 laser cane to 

help blinded veterans navigate

2003 – Conducted the first tests of 

electrical stimulation of the human retina 

using an implanted micoroelectrode array 

to help restore vision to patients with 

blindness.

2013 – Found that more than 65 percent of 

Veterans with blast induced TBIs had vision 

problems, and 77 percent had sensitivity 

to light

VA research on 

VISION LOSS

VA’s extensive network of low-vision rehabilitation 

programs helps many blinded and low-vision 

Veterans improve their level of functioning.

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VA investigators are designing and improving assistive devices 

for those with visual impairments, as well as developing 

innovative wayfinding systems to help Veterans with vision loss 

navigate in various environments and perform everyday tasks. 

RECENT STUDIES: SELECTED 

HIGHLIGHTS

• Physical activity can protect eyes 

as they age, according to researchers 

at the Atlanta VA Medical Center and 

Emory University. The researchers ran 

mice on a treadmill for two weeks 

before and after exposing the animals 

to bright light that causes retinal 

degeneration. They found that treadmill 

training preserved photoreceptors 

and retinal cell function in the mice. 

The exercised animals lost only half 

the number of photoreceptor cells as 

animals that spent the same amount 

of time on a stationary treadmill. The 

team believes their work may one day 

lead to tailored exercise regimens or 

combination therapies to treat retinal 

degenerative diseases. (The Journal of 

Neuroscience, February 2014)

• Two specific formulas of supplements containing high doses of zinc 

and other antioxidants can slow the 

deterioration of the eye’s macula (the 

central part of the retina). A research 

team from the Providence VA Medical 

Center and three universities examined 

11 different supplements to see if they 

were prepared in accordance with either formula. None of the supplements 

precisely duplicated either one. The 

team concluded that ophthalmologists 

should educate their patients on what 

to look for in supplements. (Ophthalmology, March 2015) 

• Sensory problems are common 

among Veterans who have had 

TBIs. Researchers from the Palo Alto 

VA Health Care System learned that 

perimetry (visual field testing) for 

Veterans with TBIs within two months of 

their combat blast exposure provides a 

reliable indicator of long-lasting vision 

problems. These tests also reveal high 

rates of visual-field deficits among those 

tested, indicating that blast wave forces 

may significantly affect both the eye 

and visual pathways. (Ophthalmology, 

February 2016)

• A study affirmed the quality of 

surgeries done by VA ophthalmologic 

residents. Researchers with the VA Boston Health Care System looked at more 

than 4,200 cataract surgery cases at VA 

facilities throughout the nation, and 

found that Veterans who were operated 

on by residents had an overall significant improvement in visual acuity (the 

clarity of their vision) and visual function 

(the ability to discern forms, colors, and 

movement) compared with before their 

surgery, even if complications arose as 

a result of their procedure. Those who 

had complications, however, showed a 

less marked improvement in their vision. 

Residents are medical-school graduates 

engaged in specialized practice under 

supervision in a hospital. (Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, March 2016)

• The SightBook app allows patients 

to test their vision frequently on 

their smartphones and share their test 

results with their designated physician 

in real time. A research team from the 

Miami VA Healthcare System and the 

University of Miami tested the accuracy 

of readings from SightBook compared 

with readings using a Snellen eye chart, 

the standard eye chart that is read at a 

distance of 20 feet; and with near card 

eye charts, which are designed to be 

read at shorter distances. They found 

that while there were discrepancies in 

results between each of the methods 

of testing visual acuity, the results from 

each method could be successfully reproduced, and that baseline SightBook 

acuity measures allow for future vision 

comparisons. (Retina, May 2016)

For more information on VA studies 

on vision loss and other key topics 

relating to Veterans’ health, please 

visit www.research.va.gov/topics

VISION LOSS

Updated September 2016 • For a digital version of this fact sheet with active links to sources, visit www.research.va.gov/topics