Keep Your Eyes Healthy

Today's issue of AOA First Look includes the following synopsis of a US News & World Report article about protecting your eyes from some of the main causes of low vision.  Click the link to read this helpful information.  For people who have lost vision from eye disease or some other cause a low vision optometrist may be able to help.
I speak with all low vision patients before scheduling an appointment.  By asking a few questions about your remaining vision and your goals I will be able to tell you if low vision glasses will help you.  There is no charge for the telephone consultation or the toll free call.  Call me at 1 866 321-2030.  More information on my website www.VirginiaLowVision.com

National Eye Institute Offers Advice To Keep Eyes Healthy.

US News & World Report  (3/20, Woodham) says a recent report from The Vision Council notes that 1 in 28 Americans over the age of 40 are suffering from “low vision, a visual impairment that cannot be repaired by glasses, contact lenses, medicine or surgery.” But Dr. Rachel Bishop, chief of the consult services section at the National Eye Institute, says there are steps that can be taken to reduce eye problems such as cataracts: “The first is not smoking. The second is protecting their eyes from sunlight by wearing sunglasses. UV light exposure is associated with cataract but also with other problems in the eye, so we recommend people wear UV-protection sunglasses when out in the bright daylight.”

I Can Read For Hours

   I had a call today from a low vision patient, Joseph.  He has lost vision from macular degeneration and was referred to me by his ophthalmologist.  What Joseph really wanted to do was read the New York Times.  He hoped that I could help him with that.
   Joseph's vision with his glasses was 20/60 on the day of his low vision evaluation.  He was not doing badly for distance vision.  It was the reading that bothered him.  The thorough low vision evaluation revealed that his near vision could be improved nicely with telemicroscopic glasses.  The ones that I prescribed magnified almost 2 times and focused at 10 inches from his face.  He could easily read the Times.
   Today, Joseph called to tell me how well he is doing and how much he likes the glasses.  "I can read for hours with them" he told me.  "I love them".

Telemicroscopic glasses with iPad

   One other thing that has helped Joseph's reading is that he has good light.  He took my advice and bought an Ott Lite.  The Ott Lite gives him plenty of soft, no glare, daylight right on his paper.  I recommend an Ott Lite for anyone who has vision loss.  They really help.
   I am pleased that Joseph has been able to get back to reading the Times.  It is very satisfying to be able to help people return to activities that they enjoy but had been unable to do. #maculardegeneration #microscopicglasses

Reading with Low Vision Glasses

Before I accept someone as a low vision patient I always speak with them by phone. I question them about their remaining vision and their goals and I'm able to tell them if I will be able to help them with low vision glasses. I do not schedule anyone for a low vision evaluation unless I think that I will be able to help them. When I ask about their goals, what activities they would like help with, the two most common replies are reading and driving. Those are very important to most people. If your vision loss has taken away your ability to read and to drive you have lost your independance. Reading and driving are both learned skills that can be lost by lack of use. I have seen patients who have not read for a year or two who have lost the ability. When I improve their vision with microscopic glasses which allow them to read very small letters or numbers they struggle reading words or sentences. They can see the words but are unable to say them. I know that it will take lots of practice reading with the low vision glasses before they become fluent again. I encourage you, if your vision is beginning to cause trouble with reading, to call for a telephone consultation. Don't wait until your vision is so poor that reading is impossible. It is much better to seek help from a low vision optometrist while you are still able to read. You will adapt easier and benefit more the sooner you get help from low vision glasses. If you are having trouble reading, driving or with other visual tasks and have been diagnosed with macular degeneration, Stargardt's, diabetic retinopathy or some other damaging eye condition give me a call. I will be happy to speak with you. We will discuss your current level of vision, your goals and I will tell you if low vision glasses will help you. Call me toll free at 1 (866) 321-2030 for a free telephone consultation. Don't wait until you have stopped reading and are beginning to lose your reading skills #lowvision

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Helping a Delightful 93 Year Old Lady

This past week I had a very delightful low vision patient. Catherine is 93 years old. She has been getting good care from her ophthalmologist for many years. His treatment has kept her vision stable and she was told that nothing else would help her. Catherine's vision loss comes from macular degeneration and she also has diabetes. With her better eye, Catherine sees about 20/400 with her glasses. She's legally blind. She always been a great reader and asked me to help her get back to reading. Because of the severity of her vision loss I began the low vision evaluation with a 4X Clear Image microscopic lens over her better eye. To my surprise, she easily read the smallest print on my reading card. She had no trouble reading the newspaper with the 4X microscopic glasses. Catherine has been relying on someone else to fill the syringe for her insulin shots. Due to her vision loss she is not able to accurately perform that daily task. Three times she accurately set a syringe with the microscopic glasses. Catherine was disappointed that she had forgotten to bring her iPad Mini with her. She likes to play games and go on Facebook. Luckily I had my Mini with me and she was able to see it well and read the messages on Facebook. It was a pleasure for me to be able to help this nice lady accomplish these tasks that she'd been unable to do previously. I've ordered the the Clear Image microscopic glasses which will include her prescription for astigmatism. She will be returning to me in a couple weeks to receive them. I am sure that she'll get lots of use from them. If you have given up activities that you enjoy and been told that nothing can be done to improve your vision it may be time to ask for a second opinion. Call me for a free telephone consultation. I'll ask you a few questions and tell you if special low vision glasses will help you. I only schedule low vision patients who I am quite certain that I can help. Call me toll free 1 866 321-2030. #lowvisionglasses #legalblindness #maculardegeneration

Woman with Diabetes, Glaucoma and Macular Degeneration helped to read

The three greatest causes of vision loss and blindness are diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and macular degeneration. Any one of them can have devastating effects on a person's eyesight and their life. This past week I had the opportunity to perform a low vision evaluation on a lady (GW) who had all three conditions and was asking for help in seeing better for some of the day to day activities that she had given up.

The top 4 things on GW's wish list were to be able to read her Bible, read her mail, use her checkbook and use her computer. Following a thorough low vision evaluation using low vision glasses she was able to do all of these things.

GW had no prescription glasses. Her doctor had recommended that she go to the store and find a pair of readers, telling her that nothing else could be done to help. She also had a low power hand magnifier. Her distance visual acuity with the right eye was 20/240 and 20/700 with the left. When I measured the power of her eyes I found that there was a moderate amount of astigmatism in each eye. Correcting that alone did not improve her vision very much.

A 4X Clear Image microscopic lens combined with the astigmatism correction allowed GW to read a large print Bible easily. With that lens she read letters one third the size that she could with the readers.

When the astigmatism correction was used along with a 2.2X bioptic telescopic lens for distance vision GW was able to read 20/60 letters, one fourth the size that she was able to read with no lenses. She was able to see her husband's face well from about 20 feet and saw the cars and people well when she tested the bioptics outdoors.

GW has ordered the Clear Image microscopic glasses for reading, the bioptic telescopic glasses for television and to recognize faces when she is at church or shopping. In addition, she will have a lens cap for the telescopic glasses that will allow her to use her computer with them.

Although this nice lady has the three most damaging eye diseases she responded very well to low vision glasses and I expect her to enjoy them.

You might think that someone with this combination of eye diseases could not find help. The reason that I accepted her as a patient and is that I'd interviewed her by phone and was sure in advance of her appointment that I could help. I do not accept low vision patients until we have talked by phone and I feel that they have sufficient vision that I can help them achieve their goals.

If you would like to talk about your low vision problem and your goals please give me a call. We can quickly determine if I will be able to help you. Call me toll free 1 866 321-2030. #maculardegeneration

Microscopic Glasses to Help Control Diabetes Better

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of blindness. Studies have shown that people who control their diabetes well are less likely to develop diabetic eye disease. Therefore, well controlled diabetics are at less risk of blindness. A nice, 85 year old man came to me last week. He has lost some vision due to diabetic retinopathy. Laser surgery has helped control the vision loss but many visual activities are difficult for him. Insulin injections are required to control his diabetes and he was having trouble reading the markings on the syringe. A few times he's given himself too much or to little insulin. His family is concerned about him. I asked him to set a syringe at 15 units, a task he does a couple times each day. Both times he tried, wearing his regular eyeglasses, he missed the mark. One time he was off by 5 units and the other by 10 units. His family's concern is well founded. I evaluated his vision with Clear Image microscopic glasses and he was able to set the syringe correctly each time he tried. I have prescribed the Clear Image glasses. They will help him with other close activities but most importantly, he will be keeping his diabetes in better control.

#diabeticretinopathy

Woman with Diabetes, Glaucoma and Macular Degeneration helped to read

The three leading causes of vision loss and blindness are diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and macular degeneration. Any one of them can have devastating effects on a person's eyesight and their life. I had the opportunity to perform a low vision evaluation on a lady (GW) who had all three conditions. She asked for help in seeing better for some of the day to day activities that she had given up.


The top 4 things on GW's wish list were to be able to read her Bible, read her mail, use her checkbook and use her computer. Following a thorough low vision evaluation using low vision glasses she was able to do all of these things.

GW had no prescription glasses. Her doctor had recommended that she go to the store and find a pair of readers, telling her that nothing else could be done to help. She also had a low power hand magnifier. Her distance visual acuity with the right eye was 20/240 and 20/700 with the left. When I measured the power of her eyes I found that there was a moderate amount of astigmatism in each eye. Correcting that alone did not improve her vision very much.

A 4X Clear Image microscopic lens combined with the astigmatism correction allowed GW to read a large print Bible easily. With that lens she read letters one third the size that she could with the readers.

When the astigmatism correction was used along with a 2.2X bioptic telescopic lens for distance vision GW was able to read 20/60 letters, one fourth the size that she was able to read with no lenses. She was able to see her husband's face well from about 20 feet and saw the cars and people well when she tested the bioptics outdoors.

GW ordered the Clear Image microscopic glasses for reading, the bioptic telescopic glasses for television and to recognize faces when she is at church or shopping. In addition, she has a lens cap for the telescopic glasses that allows her to use her computer with them.

Although this nice lady has the three most damaging eye diseases she responded very well to low vision glasses and is enjoying them.

You might think that someone with this combination of eye diseases could not find help. The reason that I accepted her as a patient and is that I'd interviewed her by phone and was sure in advance of her appointment that I could help. I do not accept low vision patients until we have talked by phone and I feel that they have sufficient vision that I can help them achieve their goals.

If you would like to talk about your low vision problem and your goals please give me a call. We can quickly determine if I will be able to help you. Call me toll free 1 866 321-2030.

Different solutions for two ladies who want to be able to sew again

Yesterday I had the opportunity to perform low vision evaluations on two ladies who had similar sounding goals that resulted in very different solutions. Both suffered from macular degeneration, their vision in the better eye was quite similar and they both wanted to go back to a hobby that was very important to them. They both wanted to be able to sew again. While it sounds like they might benefit from the same type of low vision glasses, there was quite a difference in their needs and the solution.

The first patient, E.R. wanted to be able to do "chicken scratch" which she explained to me is similar to cross stitch. That meant that she would be holding the needle and thread as well as the cloth in her hands. To help her I prescribed 2X Clear Image microscopic glasses which included her prescription for astigmatism. They allow her to hold her sewing at about 7" from her face. At that distance she was able to see fine stitches in a piece of fabric.

Patient M.B. wanted to be able to sew with a sewing machine. Of course, that requires a greater distance. I prescribed 1.7X Wide Angle Telescopic glasses with an additional lens that can be added to make it focus at about12-14 inches. She was able to see fine stitching along the placket of a shirt. Another use of this pair of low vision glasses is that with the telescope alone they can be used to view television. With the additional lens added they give good vision for the sewing machine or for reading.

In both cases good lighting is a must and I recommended an Ott Lite for both ladies. Ott Lites give a soft, daylight light and are excellent for reading and other near activities. I use them on my desk at home and have several in use in my office.

If you have low vision and there are some activities that you have given up or are having trouble with give me a call on my toll free number, 866 321-2030. We can talk it over and I'll tell you if I can help. I will not schedule a low vision evaluation if I do not feel that I will be able to help you.