Visibility Vol 7 Issue 1, 2013

“I was told that there was nothing else that could be done for me. Why didn’t anyone tell me about low vision rehabilitation?” How many times have we heard this from our patients? In a recently published article in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS), the authors also recognized the need for actions to better ensure that low vision patients be referred to receive low vision rehabilitation services. In this study, the authors recruited 345 older patients (93 with AMD, 57 with Fuchs’, 98 with Glaucoma, and 97 control patients with normal visual acuity and visual fields.) This study took place between September 2009 and July 2012. Testing criteria included visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and visual field testing. Of these patients, 50% with eye disease reported decreased activity levels and fear of falling compared to 16% from the control group. Ellen Freeman, one of the contributors to this study, stated, “If we could develop a brief, effective intervention focused on select activities, I would like to see it offered in the clinical setting. Then, we could encourage people to see a low vision rehabilitation specialist.”