Low Vision Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists are trained to work with patients who have low vision. These patients are usually elderly and commonly diagnosed with macular degeneration and glaucoma, although patients with other diagnosis such as diabetic retinopathy also benefit from low vision occupational therapy.
People with low vision have limitations that cannot be corrected with standard eye glasses or contact lenses. In the United States low vision is commonly considered 20/70 or worse in the better eye with best correction or have a decreased visual field that impacts function.


I work for the agency Visions of Independence (in Massachusetts and surrounding areas) providing home care to low vision patients. The goal is to help patients be as independent as possible and just a few of my job duties are to provide:

• A home safety assessment to make the environment safer
  
• Adaptations with touch and visual cues such as tactile bumps to feel settings on an oven or bold lined paper to make writing easier.
  

• Assistance in using low vision glasses, magnifiers and techniques to make reading and writing easier
• Ways to adapt the environment to decrease glare and increase color contrast

Services are paid for by Medicare after a doctor's referral. For more information, please visit the Visions of Independence web site or contact the owner Eliot Feldman at (781) 784-3320 or email : EFELDMAN@visionsofindependence.com.
As an occupational therapist doing low vision work I found the following text book to be most helpful. Also, please check out the information and many resources on my web site at:
Barbarasmithoccupationaltherapist.com/lowvisionelderly
Barbarasmithoccupationaltherapist.com/vision