Vision Rehabilitation
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Low Vision Rehabilitation this care involves working with people who have lost their vision due to macular degeneration, diabetic condition, glaucoma and other conditions. It involves determining what low vision devices such as telescopic, microscopic, magnifiers, tints and lighting can help people see again.
Visual Therapy Rehabilitation this care involves working with patients that have difficulty with the vergence (eye coordination) and accommodation (focusing) systems. This results in lack of ability of the eyes to work together (binocular) resulting in fatigue, headaches, and general discomfort when reading and using the computer and difficulty with depth perception. |
Low Vision Rehabilitation:
People with visual impairment sometimes feel alone. Many are unable to read ordinary print or do other simple activities of daily living even with conventional eyeglasses or contact lenses. Others have a narrow field of view, like looking through a tunnel. While it is true that in many cases vision cannot be restored medically or surgically, a low vision specialists (an optometrist specializing in this area of eye care) maybe able to help you use your remaining vision with special low vision optical devices. It takes desire, determination, and a willingness to accept a new way of seeing.
Many low vision patients misunderstand the nature of the help they can get from optical devices and quickly become discouraged. What we do with low vision rehabilitation is try and give you the best vision we can with what ocular function you have. You must realize there are no miracles.
Low vision care is a rehabilitation process in which you are going to be taught to use your remaining vision. This will be done by using alternative methods to perform certain tasks which include eye movement skills, better lighting, good contrast materials, enlarged print and special optical devices. These things will improve your ability to see detail (read, watch television, and see faces) but may require you to hold material close to your eyes or see through only a small field of view. The benefits usually outweigh the limitations if you really want to see.
Some people are born with low vision. In others, a visual impairment develops later in life through illness, injury, or the aging process. It includes loss of detail discrimination (loss of central visual field), loss of peripheral vision field, loss of contrast sensitivity and glare sensitivity, or an combination of these. Seeking treatment for the eye or general health problem by those who specialize in ocular diseases and systemic conditions is the first step in proper care, followed by optometric low vision rehabilitation (use of optical devices, training and other aids).
How Do You Know If You Have Low Vision And Need Special Help:
They are many signs that can signal vision loss. For example, even with your regular glasses, do you have difficulty:
People with visual impairment sometimes feel alone. Many are unable to read ordinary print or do other simple activities of daily living even with conventional eyeglasses or contact lenses. Others have a narrow field of view, like looking through a tunnel. While it is true that in many cases vision cannot be restored medically or surgically, a low vision specialists (an optometrist specializing in this area of eye care) maybe able to help you use your remaining vision with special low vision optical devices. It takes desire, determination, and a willingness to accept a new way of seeing.
Many low vision patients misunderstand the nature of the help they can get from optical devices and quickly become discouraged. What we do with low vision rehabilitation is try and give you the best vision we can with what ocular function you have. You must realize there are no miracles.
Low vision care is a rehabilitation process in which you are going to be taught to use your remaining vision. This will be done by using alternative methods to perform certain tasks which include eye movement skills, better lighting, good contrast materials, enlarged print and special optical devices. These things will improve your ability to see detail (read, watch television, and see faces) but may require you to hold material close to your eyes or see through only a small field of view. The benefits usually outweigh the limitations if you really want to see.
Some people are born with low vision. In others, a visual impairment develops later in life through illness, injury, or the aging process. It includes loss of detail discrimination (loss of central visual field), loss of peripheral vision field, loss of contrast sensitivity and glare sensitivity, or an combination of these. Seeking treatment for the eye or general health problem by those who specialize in ocular diseases and systemic conditions is the first step in proper care, followed by optometric low vision rehabilitation (use of optical devices, training and other aids).
How Do You Know If You Have Low Vision And Need Special Help:
They are many signs that can signal vision loss. For example, even with your regular glasses, do you have difficulty:
- Recognizing faces of friends and relatives or watching television.
- Doing things that require you to see close like reading bills, telephone book, medicine bottles, and similar tasks.
- Picking out and matching the color of your clothes or seeing your food on your plate or picking out food at a food/salad bar.
- Finding you need more light at work or home because lights seem dimmer than they use to?
- Reading street and bus signs or the names of stores?
Optometrists who emphasize low vision rehabilitation concentrate on using specific examination techniques for the appropriate management and use of low vision devices for the appropriate management of the specific visual impairment. As an important member of the health care team, the optometrist provides patients with individualized low vision devices and other approaches to maximize the remaining vision available. The prescribed rehabilitation treatment options may include:
- Specialized optical, electro-optical, or non-optical systems for the improvement of remaining visual function.
- Clinical rehabilitation therapy for maximizing remaining visual functioning and performing a wide variety of activities of daily living.
- Coordination of care with related health and rehabilitation professionals as Indicated.
- Education and counseling regarding the visual impairment and its implications.
To benefit most from low vision rehabilitation and care, it is important to have a realistic understanding of what can be done. Visual impairment is caused by damage to some aspect of the visual system, which cannot be fully repaired or fully corrected with conventional lenses. The optometrist skill, the treatment options prescribed and the prescribed rehabilitation therapies are all significant factors in achieving success with low vision rehabilitation.
THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT, HOWEVER, IS THE PERSON WITH A VISUAL IMPAIRMENT , WHOSE OWN DESIRE AND MOTIVATION WILL GO A LONG WAY IN ENSURING SUCCESSFUL REHABILITATION.
Although many people maintain good vision throughout their lifetimes, people over age 65 are at increased risk of developing low vision. You and your eye care professional or specialist in low vision need to work in partnership to achieve what is best for you and the condition you have. An important part of this relationship is good communication.
Visual Therapy Rehabilitation:
The American Optometric Association (AOA) defines vision therapy as "a sequence of activities individually prescribed and monitored by the doctor to develop efficient visual skills and processing. It is prescribed after a comprehensive eye examination has been performed and has indicated that vision therapy is an appropriate treatment option. The vision therapy program is based on the results of standardized tests, the needs of the patient and the patient's signs and symptoms.
Many people have oculomotor visual problems that interfere with one aspect or another of daily life. Often such patients may not even realize that their problems are visual, and, if they do, they may not be aware that their problems can be corrected. Accommodative /vergence problems often require more than glasses. The term "vision therapy/rehabilitation" denotes an approach to management and rehabilitation of the accommodative and vergence systems. Strabismus (crossed eyes) and amblyopia (lazy eye) fall in this area of the inability of the eyes to work together (binocular) due to dysfunction of the accommodative and convergence systems.
Accommodative and vergence dysfunctions are diverse visual anomalies. Any of these dysfunctions can interfere with a child's school performance prevent an athlete from performing at his or her highest level of ability, or impair one's ability to function efficiently at work. Those persons who perform considerable amounts of close work or reading, or who use computers extensively, are more prone to develop signs and symptoms related to accommodative or vergence dysfunction. Symptoms commonly associated with accommodative and vergence anomalies include blurred vision, headache, ocular discomfort, ocular or systemic fatigue, dipolpia (double vision), motion sickness, and loss of concentration during a task performance. The prevalence of accommodative and vergence disorders, combined with their impact on everyday activites, makes this a significant area of concern.
THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT, HOWEVER, IS THE PERSON WITH A VISUAL IMPAIRMENT , WHOSE OWN DESIRE AND MOTIVATION WILL GO A LONG WAY IN ENSURING SUCCESSFUL REHABILITATION.
Although many people maintain good vision throughout their lifetimes, people over age 65 are at increased risk of developing low vision. You and your eye care professional or specialist in low vision need to work in partnership to achieve what is best for you and the condition you have. An important part of this relationship is good communication.
Visual Therapy Rehabilitation:
The American Optometric Association (AOA) defines vision therapy as "a sequence of activities individually prescribed and monitored by the doctor to develop efficient visual skills and processing. It is prescribed after a comprehensive eye examination has been performed and has indicated that vision therapy is an appropriate treatment option. The vision therapy program is based on the results of standardized tests, the needs of the patient and the patient's signs and symptoms.
Many people have oculomotor visual problems that interfere with one aspect or another of daily life. Often such patients may not even realize that their problems are visual, and, if they do, they may not be aware that their problems can be corrected. Accommodative /vergence problems often require more than glasses. The term "vision therapy/rehabilitation" denotes an approach to management and rehabilitation of the accommodative and vergence systems. Strabismus (crossed eyes) and amblyopia (lazy eye) fall in this area of the inability of the eyes to work together (binocular) due to dysfunction of the accommodative and convergence systems.
Accommodative and vergence dysfunctions are diverse visual anomalies. Any of these dysfunctions can interfere with a child's school performance prevent an athlete from performing at his or her highest level of ability, or impair one's ability to function efficiently at work. Those persons who perform considerable amounts of close work or reading, or who use computers extensively, are more prone to develop signs and symptoms related to accommodative or vergence dysfunction. Symptoms commonly associated with accommodative and vergence anomalies include blurred vision, headache, ocular discomfort, ocular or systemic fatigue, dipolpia (double vision), motion sickness, and loss of concentration during a task performance. The prevalence of accommodative and vergence disorders, combined with their impact on everyday activites, makes this a significant area of concern.