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It takes more than Vision

As a low vision doctor, the most frequent request that my patients make is for me to 'help them see better.' Many times, this request lies outside the realm of present science as retinas and optic nerves can not regenerate. Instead, I ask that my patients present goals, what they can no longer do with their eyes and the things they want to do with their vision. In virtually every case, eyes are not necessary for their individual goals.

Humans are blessed with many senses, of which vision is only one. When vision impairments occur, it is important to take advantage of alternate modes of completing tasks. Non-visual means exist to complete any task. Most people think of Braille, which is one way to read and write, but certainly not the only way. Computer systems now exist that will respond to the user's spoken word as well as read everything on the screen to the computer user. Dragon Dictate, Jaws, and Ruby are the most commonly utilized forms of speech software, and many more versions are on the horizon.

Written communication comprises only a small amount of daily life, and other non-visual means are often employed. Puffy paint or Hi-Marks can be used to mark stoves, microwaves, and thermostats so that they may be used completely by tactual means. Power tools such as table saws and wood lathes may be used with no vision at all. The only skills that are visual with using power tools are measuring and leveling. A device called a click rule measures to an accuracy of 1/16th of an inch while an auditory level replaces the impossible to see bubble and makes all forms of woodworking and metalworking available to those with vision impairments.

For those who sew, there are needle threaders that require no vision to use. Just by placing a needle in the device and pushing a button, the needle is threaded and ready to use. Since sewing is largely a tactual task, vision can be removed from the equation and sewing can go on.

Despite the psychosocial concerns of using a white cane, this is actually a very powerful tool for navigation. To any who have not tried using the white cane, I strongly suggest at least trying it once, just to feel what it is like to accurately asses stairways and curbs, differentiating shadows from changes in terrain, and eliminating the need for perfect contrast and lighting situations for visual functioning.

The topics that I have discussed here only touch the very tip of the iceberg with regard to vision and non-visual means of completing task. Thousands more examples exist, and have enabled my patients to be lawyers, doctors, boxing instructors, rescue scuba divers, parents, students, musicians, and engage in a host of other careers and hobbies. Vision is only one sense of many. By learning to utilize other senses, anything is possible for those with vision impairments. It is not blindness or low vision that is the handicap, but the mindset toward it that can be debilitating.

J. Hensil