3 spot-on DIY low vision tricks you likely didn’t learn in school

low vision care is now easier than ever to offer. Why?

The continued use of anti-VEGF drugs has significantly improved visually impaired patients’ vision so that the average magnification requirement is much lower (3-5X), making device selection and training less complicated.

As in any profession, the adage “practice makes perfect” definitely applies to low vision. And, after a few years of practice, low vision doctors tend to come up with their own creative and simple solutions to make care even easier.

Here, Thomas Porter, O.D., director of Low Vision Services at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology, shares a few such strategies he’s developed over the years.

“They’re simple, basic things we’ve used to help solve problems in our clinic,” he says. Dr. Porter recently covered these ideas in an Eschenbach Optik webinar, “Houston, We Have a Problem!”

You, however, won’t have a problem, as none of these techniques requires any special equipment. Ingenuity, yes—along with a little tape and pipe cleaner, maybe—but equipment, no.

Whether you’ve practiced low vision for years or are just thinking about adding it to your practice, the message is the same: Thinking outside the box is a very good thing.

And, it’s exactly what Dr. Porter did when coming up with the simple-yet-innovate ideas presented in his webinar, which are outlined here.

1. TAPE AS A TOOL

If you’ve used spectacle magnifiers, you know it is sometimes tricky to keep the lesser eye occluded when there is a large difference in acuity between the eyes. “I use a simple technique for occluding or frosting lenses,” says Dr. Porter. “I buy tape (like 3M Blenderm) at the pharmacy. It’s 2 inches high, reversible, and can be cut into any shape. It’s a good way to do a trial before you order lenses.”

2. THE POWER OF THE PIPE CLEANER

When using high-powered aids such as microscopic readers or hand magnifiers, the close working distance can be a learning challenge for patients, says Dr. Porter.

“We have the patient put on their strong readers and move the print in and out until it’s at the best focal point for them. We then take a pipe cleaner (available at any craft store) and bend it so that its total length is the same as the distance from the eyeglasses to the print. I record the distance in my chart and send the pipe cleaner home with instructions. I call this the ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Focal Finder.’”

3. TESTING, TESTING

When testing a patient’s reading performance with a device, Dr. Porter suggests, “Put together real-world test objects rather than standardized test cards. When I’m doing initial testing, I do use standardized tests. But when I’m testing for the patient’s cadence, for example, I use things like the local newspaper, church bulletins, utility bills, and food packages.”

Why? “Because no one has ever come to my office and said, ‘You know, Doctor, all I want to do is be able to read a small, continuous-text reading card,’” he says.

This is sage advice to remember from a low vision pro.

—Heather Walter