A vision enhancing device for a person having macular degeneration of the retina, comprises a lens and a light diverging surface on the lens that symmetrically diverges away from the eye at an angle relative to an optic axis to redirect incident light away from the optic axis outwardly toward an un-diseased region of the retina. The light diverging surface can be a smooth surface, which can be a continuous curved surface, and can be a diverging conical surface. The lens can be an eyeglass lens, contact lens, intraocular lens, telescopic lens, correction lens, or magnification lens. A light diverging insert having a conical surface and, optionally, an end surface can be used in a lens for redirecting light to the un-diseased region of the retina.