Abstract:

Very often people with visual impairment have lost vision gradually, but the home has not changed to accommodate the new situation. There is a need to understand the person’s needs in their environmental context in order to ascertain what rehabilitation interventions such as assistive devices and home modification will be most useful. It is anticipated that people with Age- related macular degeneration (AMD) may have a number of perspectives, experiences and suggestions which if explored will assist in greater understanding and in communicating helpful coping strategies to others. The aim of the thesis was to explore the perspective and experiences of people with Age- related macular degeneration (AMD) and their service providers to understand better, what home modifications and assistive devices may be most useful with respect to visual function and functional vision. This study employed mixed research methods (both qualitative and quantitative) of data collection and analysis. One of the main findings of the thesis was the significance of non-visual coping strategies on older people's ability to manage activities of daily living independently. This needs to be addressed by the instruments that measure functional vision, as individualised adaptive strategies are not well measured by current measurement instruments.