The Problem
You are doing all you can do, surgically and medically, for your patients with vision impairment, but they continue to report difficulty with visual tasks or have to abandon activities they enjoy.
The Solution
Vision rehabilitation is the next step in the continuum of ophthalmic care. Rehabilitation helps patients retain or regain independence and quality of life.
The Way Forward
- Identify individuals who are, or may become, limited by their vision loss. Download and print the Visual Function Survey and use with intake paperwork.
- Educate patients with vision impairment about low vision and vision rehabilitation. Download and print Low Vision Resources and 10 Helpful Tips and share with patients.
- Refer patients for vision rehabilitation. Check out these resources to find a service near you:
- Lighthouse Guild T: 800-284-4422 lighthouseguild.org
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs T: 844-698-2311 va.gov
- American Foundation for the Blind T: 800-232-5463 afb.org
Ask these 6 questions to evaluate the quality of a vision rehabilitation service
- Does the prescribing provider train the patient on use of devices?
- When prescribing devices, are some devices loaned before purchase, or returnable?
- In what areas do you offer rehabilitation training, such as reading, writing, shopping, cooking, lighting and glare control?
- Do you offer home assessments and mobility services?
- What resources and support groups are available?
- Are services free, or are they are billed to Medicare or other insurance? If not, what is the charge? Note: Medicare covers most services, but not devices.
Referral guidelines
- Any medical professional can refer a patient with vision impairment to a vision rehabilitation service
- Clinical referrals should include information from a recent comprehensive eye exam (within the past 12 months)
- When possible, referring physicians should also send other visual field testing results. For more information, consult the "AAO Guidelines on When to Refer"