Helping Low-Vision Patients Lead Independent Lives
For all their hard work to preserve and restore eyesight, ophthalmologists often reach the limits of what they can accomplish with standard treatment. As a result, countless patients with disorders like glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy must cope with permanent low vision—and few insights on how to improve their quality of life.
“Traditionally, physicians have been poorly trained in how to manage low vision in patients who have already been treated with medicine or surgery,” says Paul A. Sidoti, MD, Chair, Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE). “Since a large percentage of our patients come to us with complex eye problems, it’s important for our ophthalmologists to know what in-house resources are available, and when to plug low-vision patients into outside services like Lighthouse Guild and VISIONS.”