Low vision rehabilitation and diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is emerging as a major cause of blindness. Diabetic retinopathy calls for a multidisciplinary to the patients. Management of the patient requires a team work by the internist, diabetologist, dietician, ophthalmologist and low vision therapist. Diabetic retinopathy very often results in vision loss. It is important for ophthalmologists to recognize the importance of low vision rehabilitation in formulating appropriate treatment strategies. People with vision loss due to diabetic retinopathy usually experience difficulty in daily life. Most people with diabetic retinopathy [who have remaining useful vision] can be helped with low vision devices. However, often one low vision device may not be suitable for all purposes. A comprehensive low vision evaluation is required to assess the person's current visual status, identify the goals and visual needs, and then design an individualized vision rehabilitation program to meet these needs

Vision function and quality of life outcomes after low vision rehabilitation in patients with age-related macular degeneration at a tertiary eye care center

To report vision function [VF] and quality of life [QOL] outcomes after low vision rehabilitation in patients with age-related macular degeneration [AMD]. A questionnaire developed and validated to assess VF and QOL in cataract patients in south India was administered to 50 patients with AMD before and after providing low vision care between October 1, 1997, and May 31, 2003. The outcome measures included overall changes in VF and QOL after low vision rehabilitation. Rasch analysis was performed on pre and post rehabilitation responses to the QOL and VF instruments using Winsteps package. Visual function: The items that were most difficult were reading, writing, needlework, sorting stones from food grains, recognizing faces and light adaptation. Difficulties with these functions reduced significantly after rehabilitation. Quality of Life: The items that were most difficult were banking, using public transport, and psychological well-being. Following rehabilitation the visual functioning for banking, daily living skills, and ease of dialing the telephone increased significantly though the visual functioning/satisfaction for the item related to mobility and psychological well-being either remained the same or worsened. The average perceived visual functioning and QOL improved significantly after rehabilitation [p<0.001]. The improvement in visual function [reading, writing, and recognizing faces] and improvement in quality of life [banking, daily living skills, and dialing the telephone] following rehabilitation point to the advantage of low vision rehabilitation in patients with age-related macular degeneration