Hope, Supported by Science.

When it comes to working with patients with low vision, it isn’t only about treating the condition—it’s also about helping patients regain their independence. But consider moving beyond the clinical. Practitioners can also help patients maintain hope and mental health along with their eye and vision health.

Here, R. Tracy Williams, O.D., FAAO, executive director of the Spectrios Institute for Low Vision in Wheaton, IL, shares strategies for approaching low vision in a more holistic way.

The Whole Patient

Considering that rates of depression and anxiety are high in low vision patients, Dr. Williams believes that low vision practitioners should also be trained psychosocially with the philosophy of helping the patient’s head and heart in addition to their eyes.

“Practicing professional paternalism, treating patients like they’re in your circle of loved ones, will support practitioners in helping their patients realize that they are not defined by their vision loss,” he says.

Vision care professionals can tap into the capabilities of their practice—and the strength of their network—so they can retire the phrase, “There’s nothing more we can do.”

“Well, that might be true on the medical side of the fence, but that is never really true, right?” says Dr. Williams. “[As a practitioner], how can I use my energy to fill the buckets of fruitfulness—not anger, depression, and frustration?”

A Comprehensive Approach

Dr. Williams believes in a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach. In his practice, which is operated by 16 staff members, patients are first seen by a residency-trained low vision doctor before working with an occupational therapist who expands upon the strengths, needs, and goals identified by the optometrist—and it doesn’t stop there. A team of access technology staff helps match a patient’s goals with available technology and provides training to help that patient regain independence. While this can include the latest innovations in low vision technology, it’s also as simple as helping patients utilize their smartphones, tablets, or computers so they can get back to day-to-day activities.

From the waiting room to the examination chair, patients are guided by staff members who are all trained in the practice’s culture: to be an advocate and help patients “cross the bridge to acceptance and help them realize how they can be the best they can be,” Dr. Williams explains. “When you have vision loss, it makes sense to grieve, and we honor that. But I think…it begins with you knowing what you can do in the office to motivate that person to take the next steps to get all the complete care.”

Positive Ideas

With examinations in his practice typically lasting over an hour, Dr. Williams shares that half of that time is spent on uplifting messages. Further, it’s beneficial for patients to have what he calls a coach—in other words, a loved one in their lives—to help absorb both the overwhelming amount of clinical information and the messages of “hope supported by science.”

For private eyecare practices that do not have this ideal, comprehensive multidisciplinary staff, it’s important to develop a network of resources so patients can know what to do when the practice cannot fix the problem.

Understand what can be done in the office from a clinical standpoint, spend just as much time motivating the patient to nurture their well-being, and issue timely referrals so the momentum you helped to build is not lost, enabling your patients to move forward in their care with hope.