LOW VISION CONSULTATIONS

What Can I Expect from a Low Vision Consultation?

At Listowel Vision Care, we understand that living with vision loss can be both frustrating and challenging. Our goal during a low vision consultation is to help you to regain your independent lifestyle and increase your quality of life by showing you a new way of seeing things and instilling the confidence that you CAN.

Determining your diagnosis and level of vision loss helps your optometrist to make the best recommendations to empower you with a new way of seeing. We can then teach you tips and techniques to enhance your current vision and help enable you to do all the sight-related activities that you used to/want to do.

How to Make Your Low Vision Consultation a Success

1. Bring with you any visual aids that you are currently using (glasses, magnifying glass, etc.) You will want to try all the low vision aids with and without your glasses and/or magnifier to see the difference and find which works best for you.
2.  Bring things from home that you have difficulty seeing (mail, photos, magazines, etc.) This will help us to determine if a low vision aid is working and is the right fit for you.
3.  Allow yourself (or your loved one) the time and patience to try out our low vision aids, learn how to use them, and ask the questions you need to help regain your independence. The time spent in our office will make all the difference when you are at home alone using it for the first time. New technology can be intimidating, but it can also be your best friend.
4.  Be positive and open! Come to your low vision consultation with a willingness to change and to learn to see in a new way and you will succeed. That said, let us know If you feel that you won’t use the equipment or if you are uncomfortable with learning new skills… this may not be the right time for you to make an investment.
5.  Tell us about your goals. What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to see or do again? View examples below.

Goals for those with low vision might include:

1. I want to read again. We may recommend you get a DaVinci Pro. DaVinci Pro is the most flexible CCTV with a 3-in-1 camera that lets you see near, far and everywhere in between. It also has a built-in OCR text-to-speech system that lets you relax your eyes while DaVinci Pro reads out loud for you at the push of a button. We may also recommend the EYE-PAL Ace Plus which is specifically designed for text-to-speech (reading out loud) for lots of content, but it also has magnifying capabilities.
2. I want to enjoy new or old hobbies & activities such as cooking, crafts and other projects. Then we may recommend a 3-in-1 video magnifier because these CCTVs have a higher clearance between their base and magnifying camera to help you get your projects right under the camera.
3. I want to read labels and menus on-the-go. We may recommend a handheld electronic magnifier that you can fit in your purse or pocket to read signs, labels, menus and more when you are out and about.
4. I want to read prescriptions and other medication packages. Then we may recommend Topaz XL HD because it has a grooved tray to keep your bottles or any round container (even cans of food, shampoo bottles, you name it!) from sliding or rolling around.
5. I want to apply make-up and do other grooming activities. Then we may recommend a flexible 3-in-1 video magnifier CCTV with a moveable camera that can be twisted to give you a mirror image of yourself and can be used for grooming, hygiene and even self-medical checks (such as for diabetics to check for skin discolorations).
6. I want to use a portable device at home, school, or place of work. Then we may recommend The Transformer or the ONYX Portable HD both of which give you all the magnifying power you need and yet are small and lightweight and fold to an even smaller size for you to bring with you everywhere, every day.
7. I want to see across the room or out the window. Then we may recommend 3-in-1 CCTV with moveable camera that can be adjusted to see out the window to see birds, weather or any goings-on. It can be used to see who is at the door, the faces of loved ones or to watch television. The only limit to what these versatile magnifying machines can do is your imagination.

Knowing your specific goals helps us to tailor our recommendations to you.