Northwest Hills Eye Care – Low Vision Rehab
When your vision cannot be corrected by glasses or surgery, the ability to perform daily tasks can be extremely difficult. Low vision rehab helps people maximize their remaining sight, develop strategies for overcoming low vision, and lead independent lives. Low vision rehabilitation is like physical therapy for someone who has lost a limb or has had a stroke, but it is for those who have recently lost vision, are blind, or have very reduced vision.
Low Vision Rehabilitation Services
Low vision rehab begins with a low vision examination, in which one of our doctors will determine which types of training can provide the greatest benefit to you. The low vision evaluation focuses on the functional problems caused by the vision loss. We will work together to concentrate on your personal vision needs and goals to determine which low vision devices may help you perform tasks you find difficult to manage.
After your low vision evaluation, our team will work with you on a customized program to address your individual needs. Our low vision occupational therapist, Regina Budet, will help you develop optimal strategies to best use your vision potential. Training sessions are based on your specific needs and may require more than one session. Training may address:
Independent living and personal management skills are essential for self-care. This type of rehabilitation helps people perform personal self-care, such as bathing, dressing and even engaging in sports and hobbies, despite low vision. Low vision rehab may even provide advanced independent living skills, such as teaching the individual how to make home modifications and repairs, for example.
Training may focus on improving independent movement and travel skills, such as moving about safely indoors, using public transportation or riding in privately own vehicles, and traveling safely outdoors with a long white cane or other device.
Individuals may receive training in using bioptics for driving, low vision optical devices, and non-optical devices, such as special reading glasses, handheld magnifiers, high intensity lamps, and telescopes.
Vocational rehabilitation helps individuals get back to work after a vision loss, or enter the workforce as a jobseeker with low vision.
Vocational rehabilitation may include vocational evaluation and job training, job placement, and job modification and restructuring.
Counseling is an important part of low vision rehab.
Low vision counseling helps individuals, family members and friends adjust to the patient’s vision loss.
Low vision rehabilitation can make a major difference in the lives of people who have vision loss.