Key messages

• Self-management programs (types of education or training that help people learn how to manage their own health) may not improve health-related or vision-related quality of life measures in adults with low vision.

• The evidence is uncertain, and more research is needed to confirm these findings.

What is visual impairment?

Visual impairment refers to a condition where a person's eyesight is reduced and cannot be corrected using eye glasses, contact lenses, or surgery. This leads to difficulties in seeing or interpreting visual information. This impairment can range from partial sight to total blindness, and may result from various causes such as eye diseases, injuries, or congenital conditions (birth defects). Individuals with visual impairment often rely on alternative methods to navigate their surroundings and access information effectively.

How is visual impairment treated?

Treatment for visual impairment varies depending on the underlying cause and severity of the condition. For conditions where eye glasses or contact lenses do not improve vision to a functional level, rehabilitation programs offer support and training to help individuals with visual impairment adapt to their condition, learn new skills, and utilize assistive technologies (products or systems that support and assist) effectively for daily tasks and activities. These learned skills and techniques empower individuals to manage their health conditions effectively.

Why is this important?

Visual impairment can impact an individual's quality of life, affecting their ability to perform daily activities, maintain social connections, and enjoy life. Self-management programs may potentially help individuals adapt to vision loss and improve their well-being.

What did we want to find out?

We wanted to find out whether self-management training is better than usual care for people with low vision.

What did we do?

We searched for studies that compared self-management programs with usual care or no program. We compared and summarized the results of these studies and rated our confidence in the evidence for quality of life and other measures based on factors such as study method and size.

What did we find?

We included 20 studies with 3151 participants in our review. The studies varied greatly in the type of self-management programs they used and the outcomes they measured. Overall, we found that self-management programs may have little to no impact on improving the health-related and vision-related quality of life for adults with visual impairment. Out of four studies that looked at harms, three found no unwanted events related to the treatment. In one small study, however, 12 people (equaling about 34 people out of 100) in the self-management group and seven people (equaling about 22 people out of 100) in the comparison group had to see a doctor for symptoms of depression.

What are the limitations of the evidence?

We have little confidence in the evidence, because there are not enough studies to be certain about the results, and not all studies provided data about everything we were interested in.

How up to date is this evidence?

The evidence is current to May 2024.