HealthFirst

HealthFirst-Glasses when surgery isn't an option

Thursday, September 24, 2009

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UNDATED -- (09/24/09) -- There is now an option for people who are not candidates for surgery, contacts or glasses to improve their vision.

HealthFirst reporter Leslie Toldo shares information about some special specs that help people with low vision to see.

They are glasses, but not your average glasses.

What looks like a relaxing afternoon at home is actually a remarkable feat for Barbara Whitlock, who suffers from low vision. "It was almost mind-boggling, really. I could actually see to read. It made me want to cry to tell you the truth."

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For the past nine years, a combination of cataracts and macular degeneration stole her sight. "You don't realize what you've lost until you've lost it."

Her passion is keeping up with the news, but that was taken away until she put on a unique pair of glasses.

"This doesn't cure anything, but what this does, is it allows people with the condition to function better," said Dr. Jeffrey Sonsino, an optometrist at the Vanderbilt Eye Institute.

The condition that Barbara and 14 million other Americans suffer from is called low vision. It's what happens when macular degeneration, diabetes or glaucoma damages the eyes, and their vision can't be fixed with regular glasses, contacts or surgery.

Sonsino created illuminated, low-vision glasses. They combine a high-powered LED light in the frame, magnifying lenses and prism correction that prevents eye fatigue.

"Those three things together provide magnification and enhanced contrast when the patient is reading at very close distance," Sonsino said.

In a study, the glasses improved patients' reading abilities by almost 90 percent compared to regular glasses.

On another note, we'd like you to know more about Joe Daily and how you can help the Joe Daily Fund.

Who is Joe Daily?

A young man who continues to inspire people a year after his death.

Joe was diagnosed with neuroblastoma when he was in 4th grade. Eighteen years and many battles later, he succumbed to the cancer.

His family and friends set up a fund in his name, using well over $250,000 of unused money they had originally raised to cover some of the cost of Joe's care.

The fund will help parents of pediatric cancer patients at Hurley pay for things like gas, food and lodging if they need the help while their child is getting treatments.

"I think he would be very proud to know that he's helping other families out with the same things his family struggled with. I think he would be honored to have his name on this," Joe's best friend, Cory Glover, told ABC12's Leslie Toldo.

If you would like to make a donation to the Joe Daily fund or for more information about it, click here.

We'll have more on Joe Daily Friday night.

LOW VISION GLASSES

BACKGROUND: Low Vision is a visual impairment unable to be corrected by standard vision treatments such as regular eyeglasses, contact lenses, or optical surgery. It interferes with one's ability to perform simple, everyday tasks. According to the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, low vision is defined as vision that is 20/70 or worse. A person with low vision is not blind; you are legally blind when your best vision is 20/200 in your better eye. Blind people may be able to make out very limited vision but less than those declared to have low vision. People with low vision may not recognize images from a distance or differentiate between colors in the same color range.

Nationally, there are about 13 million people with low vision, according to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The World Health Organization estimates that number to be 124 million worldwide and expects it to double by 2020. Low vision often develops because of eye diseases, which are typically found in older generations. Common causes of low vision in the elderly include macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy, according to the Kellogg Eye Center. When caught early, vision impairment is more treatable. The Kellogg Center estimates that approximately 17 percent of people over the age of 65 are either blind or have low vision.

SYMPTOMS: Warning signs to look out for include trouble reading, cooking, or sewing, trouble seeing because lights don't seem as bright as usual, trouble recognizing familiar faces, and trouble crossing the street or reading street signs. If you have symptoms, experts recommend you see your eye doctor. Tests for low vision are more complex and time-consuming than your typical examination. Low vision tests may include refraction to assess your vision and determine the prescription for your glasses. To assess your peripheral vision, your doctor will conduct a visual field test. He or she may use ocular motility to assess how well your eyes move.

TREATMENT: Jeffrey Sonsino, O.D., an optometrist from the Vanderbilt Eye Institute in Nashville, Tenn., has implemented new technological methods to make reading possible for low vision patients. He recommends patients buy a goose neck lamp, use high-powered reading glasses, and select a designated reading spot. He believed the existing reading glasses were too pricey and bulky and did not provide illumination. He created illuminated low vision glasses. These glasses have a built-in, high-powered LED light in the frame of the glasses. The lenses are magnifying and have prism correction. They will be inexpensive, convenient to carry and will be available without prescriptions.

* For More Information, Contact:
Craig Boerner, Media Relations
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, TN
Craig.boerner@vanderbilt.edu