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From left to right, Patricia Jones, Frank Graf, O.D., and Kathy VonDollen. |
The Low Vision Center at UNMC is dedicated to helping patients learn how to adapt to their low vision.
February is Low Vision Awareness Month and with the steady rise in the number of people with low vision more high-tech low vision devices are being developed.
A variety of electronic magnification reading machines are now available along with portable and more economical LED light magnifier and low vision glasses.
The variety of choices makes it easier for Frank Graf, O.D., Kathy VonDollen, R.N. and Patricia Jones, R.N., to help the growing number of people seeking assistance at the clinic.
“We see six new patients a week,” VonDollen said. “The average age of the patient is 75 and older and most have macular degeneration as the primary diagnosis.”
Other diseases also contribute to the loss of sight, Dr. Graf said, such as diabetes, glaucoma and cataracts. It can be hard for a person to accept at first, he said, but with help a person can begin to understand how to use the sight he or she has left.
“We are a rehabilitation clinic,” Jones said. “We help patients realize that there is ‘hope’ – that they can learn how to function better with their remaining vision.”
That is the first step. The next step is to find the best optical device to enhance the person’s remaining vision. And with the wide variety of choices now available, VonDollen said she can usually help a person find a device that will meet his or her needs for less than $100.
“The devices available start as simple and inexpensively as a $30 magnifier,” she said. “It depends on the person’s need when they come to the clinic.”
To obtain additional information or to make a low vision clinic appointment, call the University of Nebraska Low Vision Center at (402) 559-2463.