The Low Vision Rehabilitation Service
at University Station ~ 2880 University Ave. ~ (608) 263-7171
In the USA, about one person in twenty has low vision. Low vision is a loss of vision that is less than total blindness. It still keeps a person from doing what he is used to doing or doing what he wants to do.
Low vision is vision is too poor to simply read a newspaper, sew or watch television, even with a good pair of glasses. For most of these people, unless cataracts are the only problem, there is no surgery or treatment that will bring back normal eyesight.
The most common causes of low vision are:
- macular degeneration - wear and tear of the central part of the retina, the part at the back of the eye that is used for sharp, clear, central vision.
- cataracts - clouding or loss of clearness of the lens inside the eye. Cataracts can often be fixed with surgery.
- glaucoma - a buildup of pressure inside the eye which causes damage to the optic nerve and the retina.
- diabetic retinopathy - a diabetes-related disease that leads to bleeding and leaking from blood vessels in the retina at the back of the eye.
A person with low vision may be legally blind, but that doesn't mean that the partial vision cannot be used at all. Legal blindness is not always total blindness. The Low Vision Rehabilitation Service can help you make the most out of the vision you still have.
Before your evaluation with our service, we would like you to have a complete exam by an eye doctor to find the cause and possible remedy for your vision loss. The results will guide our low vision expert in helping you.
Your first visit with us may take up to two hours. It will include an interview about your vision loss, your current daily tasks, your needs and goals, and any visual aids you may have tried before this visit.
You will have a vision exam. Using different eye charts and types of lighting, the low vision expert will measure your near vision (near acuity) and your distance vision (distance acuity).
Your visual acuities, the nature of your vision loss, and your own goals and actions all help the low vision expert decide how to help you make the most use of your current vision. We may show you how to change some work habits or ways of doing things at home. There are also low vision aids that may help. These may be optical aids or non-optical aids.
- optical aids enlarge reading material, other close work, and distant objects. Aids include magnifying eyeglasses, hand-held or stand-mounted magnifiers, and small telescopes. Seventy percent of the people who are legally blind do benefit from optical aids.
- non-optical aids include such things as large-print books, lamps, reading stands, checkbook and signature guides and other aids for reading and writing. Often the use of simple, low-cost aids such as better lighting or large number phone dials and timers can help you read, cook, and do your other daily tasks. The right aids can also help you to do close-up work, such as mending, arts and crafts, home workshop projects, and card playing.
Other services may include:
- mobility training to help you to travel safely and as independently as possible
- referral for talking books
- referral for rehabilitation teaching or vocational rehabilitation services.
Special services for children can be arranged. You will need time to get used to the new vision aids and to try them out at home. The UWHC Low Vision Rehabilitation Service lends low vision aids for practice at home. This way, you can tell if the device will help you in your own real-life setting. This will help you decide which aids you want to get for yourself.
Low vision/mobility rehabilitation is an ongoing program. Follow-up visits and training in the use of low vision aids are vital, so you can find the best ways to use your current vision.
Fees: The clinic fee for exam and consultation and full low vision services includes your first visit, all follow-up visits for one year, and the short-term loan of low vision aids. Not built in are the cost of glasses or other aids you may be prescribed.
Medicare will pay for the clinic visit. The clinic fee for mobility training, $50.00 each visit, is not covered by Medicare.
If you have any questions about low vision or the Low Vision Rehabilitation Service we will be happy to talk with you. Please call (608) 263-7171.
The Spanish version of this Health Facts for You is #7309.
The information provided should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
Last Updated: 12/09/2011
Copyright © 09/18/2006 University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority. All rights reserved. Produced by the Department of Nursing. UWH #4471
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