There are spectacles which claim to mimic the effect of eye conditions. I've seen a pair with the centre of each lens blacked out,
which are supposed to give a sighted person an idea of what it's like
to lose central vision. There are three big problems with these:
No two people's eyesight will be affected in the same way or to the same degree.
Certainly for me, the loss of central vision is not a simple black disk, it is
more like an ever-changing swirl of colour. How much I can see varies from
minute to minute. Tiredness, ability to concentrate and lighting all affect
how much I can see.
A sighted person can take these glasses off after a few minutes. They never get the true feeling of having to live with the condition 24 hours a day.
Showing how LHON affects eyesight on the web suffers in the same way. However, I'm going to have a try.
This page has 2 links which try and give an impression of how eyesight is affected.
The first is a simple still photograph comparing the view of a girl's face
before and after the eyesight is damaged.
The second is the same view, but using animation to show how eyesight can worsen
during the 'acute' phase of LHON, - this is speeded up so the change over a number
of months is shown in a few seconds.
The picture on the left will give you an idea of the effect of LHON.
The centre, most detailed, area of vision is the worst affected.
You can still get an idea of what the picture is by looking at the edges.
Still pictures