Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Psychology, health and illness
- Medical topics
- Abortion
- Accidents and unintentional injuries
- Acne
- Alcohol abuse
- Allergies to drugs
- Allergies to food
- Allergies: general
- Amnesia
- Amputation and phantom limb pain
- Anaesthesia and psychology
- Antenatal care
- Aphasia recovery, treatment and psychosocial adjustment
- Asthma
- Back pain
- Blindness and visual disability
- Blood donation
- Breastfeeding
- Burn injuries: psychological and social aspects
- Cancer: breast
- Cancers of the digestive tract
- Cancer: general
- Cancer: gynaecologic
- Cancer: head and neck
- Cancer: Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
- Cancer: leukaemia
- Cancer: lung
- Cancer: prostate
- Cancer: skin
- Carotid artery disease and treatment
- Chemotherapy
- Child abuse and neglect
- Chromosomal abnormalities
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): chronic bronchitis and emphysema
- Cleft lip and palate
- Cold, common
- Complementary medicine
- Contraception
- Coronary heart disease: impact
- Coronary heart disease: cardiac psychology
- Coronary heart disease: heart failure
- Coronary heart disease: rehabilitation
- Coronary heart disease: surgery
- Cystic fibrosis
- Acquired hearing loss
- Dementias
- Diabetes mellitus
- Domestic violence, intimate partner violence and wife battering
- Drug dependency: benzodiazepines
- Drug dependence: opiates and stimulants
- Drugs: beta-blockers
- Drugs: psychotropic medication
- Dyslexia
- Eating disorders
- Eczema
- Endocrine disorders
- Enuresis
- Epilepsy
- Epstein–Barr virus infection
- Facial disfigurement and dysmorphology
- Fetal wellbeing: monitoring and assessment
- Gastric and duodenal ulcers
- Growth retardation
- Haemophilia
- Head injury
- Headache and migraine
- Herpes
- HIV/AIDS
- Hormone replacement therapy
- Hospital acquired infection
- Huntington's disease
- Hyperactivity
- Hypertension
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hyperventilation
- Hysterectomy
- Immunization
- Incontinence
- Infertility
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Intensive care unit
- Intimate examinations
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Lymphoedema
- Malaria
- Mastalgia (breast pain)
- Meningitis
- Menopause and postmenopause
- MMR vaccine
- Motor neurone disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Myasthenia gravis
- Neurofibromatosis
- Non-cardiac chest pain
- Obesity
- Oral care and hygiene
- Osteoarthritis
- Osteoporosis
- Parkinson's disease
- Pelvic pain
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Postnatal depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Premature babies
- Premenstrual syndrome
- Psoriasis
- Radiotherapy
- Rape and sexual assault
- Reconstructive and cosmetic surgery
- Renal failure, dialysis and transplantation
- Repetitive strain injury
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Road traffic accidents: human factors
- Screening: antenatal
- Screening: cancer
- Screening: cardiac
- Screening: genetic
- Self-examination: breasts, testicles
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Sickle cell disease
- Skin disorders
- Sleep apnoea
- Sleep disorders
- Spina bifida
- Spinal cord injury
- Sterilization and vasectomy
- Stroke
- Stuttering
- Suicide
- Tinnitus
- Tobacco use
- Toxins: environmental
- Transplantation
- Urinary tract symptoms
- Vertigo and dizziness
- Vision disorders
- Voice disorders
- Volatile substance abuse
- Vomiting and nausea
- Index
- References
Vision disorders
from Medical topics
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 December 2014
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Psychology, health and illness
- Medical topics
- Abortion
- Accidents and unintentional injuries
- Acne
- Alcohol abuse
- Allergies to drugs
- Allergies to food
- Allergies: general
- Amnesia
- Amputation and phantom limb pain
- Anaesthesia and psychology
- Antenatal care
- Aphasia recovery, treatment and psychosocial adjustment
- Asthma
- Back pain
- Blindness and visual disability
- Blood donation
- Breastfeeding
- Burn injuries: psychological and social aspects
- Cancer: breast
- Cancers of the digestive tract
- Cancer: general
- Cancer: gynaecologic
- Cancer: head and neck
- Cancer: Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
- Cancer: leukaemia
- Cancer: lung
- Cancer: prostate
- Cancer: skin
- Carotid artery disease and treatment
- Chemotherapy
- Child abuse and neglect
- Chromosomal abnormalities
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): chronic bronchitis and emphysema
- Cleft lip and palate
- Cold, common
- Complementary medicine
- Contraception
- Coronary heart disease: impact
- Coronary heart disease: cardiac psychology
- Coronary heart disease: heart failure
- Coronary heart disease: rehabilitation
- Coronary heart disease: surgery
- Cystic fibrosis
- Acquired hearing loss
- Dementias
- Diabetes mellitus
- Domestic violence, intimate partner violence and wife battering
- Drug dependency: benzodiazepines
- Drug dependence: opiates and stimulants
- Drugs: beta-blockers
- Drugs: psychotropic medication
- Dyslexia
- Eating disorders
- Eczema
- Endocrine disorders
- Enuresis
- Epilepsy
- Epstein–Barr virus infection
- Facial disfigurement and dysmorphology
- Fetal wellbeing: monitoring and assessment
- Gastric and duodenal ulcers
- Growth retardation
- Haemophilia
- Head injury
- Headache and migraine
- Herpes
- HIV/AIDS
- Hormone replacement therapy
- Hospital acquired infection
- Huntington's disease
- Hyperactivity
- Hypertension
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hyperventilation
- Hysterectomy
- Immunization
- Incontinence
- Infertility
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Intensive care unit
- Intimate examinations
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Lymphoedema
- Malaria
- Mastalgia (breast pain)
- Meningitis
- Menopause and postmenopause
- MMR vaccine
- Motor neurone disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Myasthenia gravis
- Neurofibromatosis
- Non-cardiac chest pain
- Obesity
- Oral care and hygiene
- Osteoarthritis
- Osteoporosis
- Parkinson's disease
- Pelvic pain
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Postnatal depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Premature babies
- Premenstrual syndrome
- Psoriasis
- Radiotherapy
- Rape and sexual assault
- Reconstructive and cosmetic surgery
- Renal failure, dialysis and transplantation
- Repetitive strain injury
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Road traffic accidents: human factors
- Screening: antenatal
- Screening: cancer
- Screening: cardiac
- Screening: genetic
- Self-examination: breasts, testicles
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Sickle cell disease
- Skin disorders
- Sleep apnoea
- Sleep disorders
- Spina bifida
- Spinal cord injury
- Sterilization and vasectomy
- Stroke
- Stuttering
- Suicide
- Tinnitus
- Tobacco use
- Toxins: environmental
- Transplantation
- Urinary tract symptoms
- Vertigo and dizziness
- Vision disorders
- Voice disorders
- Volatile substance abuse
- Vomiting and nausea
- Index
- References
Summary
Currently, there does not exist a model for the psychological response to loss of vision. Any disorder that impairs sensory functioning is likely to have profound psychological effects. Acquired blindness requires a radical revision of one's basic assumptions about the world. One would expect the psychological response to loss of vision to be different under circumstances of sudden rather than of gradual loss of vision. Symptoms that have a gradual onset may be accompanied by coping strategies employed to compensate for diminishing sight ability and to reduce the negative consequences associated with that loss (Green et al., 2002). This means that those who experience a gradual onset have more time to prepare themselves for the changes that are occurring but at the same time these changes may be easier to ignore thereby hindering the initiation of appropriate coping resources.
Low vision
Low vision has been defined as a permanent visual impairment that is not correctable with spectacles, contact lenses or surgical intervention and that interferes with normal daily living (Mehr, 1975). Vision loss has been ranked third, behind arthritis and heart disease, among conditions that cause persons over 70 to need assistance with daily living activities (LaPlante, 1988). It is estimated that over one million people in the UK could be registered as blind or partially sighted (Bruce et al., 1991).
Patients with low vision tend to score lower in physical functioning and higher in role limitations caused by physical and emotional health problems (Scott et al., 1999).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Cambridge Handbook of Psychology, Health and Medicine , pp. 924 - 925Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2007