This post is for all our sighted friends out there! Have you ever wondered what the world looks like through the eyes of someone with a visual impairment? If you could see what someone with blindness or low vision does, you might better understand the challenges they may face in interacting with their environments. Not to mention that there’s a practical benefit for you as well: even if you do not currently have any degree of vision loss, many forms of vision loss are due to aging or to common diseases (such as Type II diabetes), which means that many adults could find themselves with one of these conditions in the future. That’s why it’s a great idea to know what they look like, so you’ll know what to look for. Early detection and treatment can sometimes halt or reverse vision loss! Check out these three great resources for more on what common vision problems look like and how they occur:

• Vision Simulation Video - VisionAware takes you through some of the most common causes of low vision, such as glaucoma and macular degeneration, in this informative video.

• Pictures of Eye Problems - WebMD casts a bit of a wider net in this slideshow, including some problems that are more easily corrected or may have a less severe impact, such as colorblindness or presbyopia (that’s when the fine print gets tougher to read as you age).

• iSimulator - this iOS app from CNIB puts a cool spin on vision simulation: you can snap a picture with your phone or tablet's camera and use the app to find out what your environment would look like if you had partial sightedness!

Image: A close-up of a blue eye in which is reflected the iconic Snellen eye examination chart (the one with the big letter E at the top)