Vision Correction - the Early Years

When did glass lenses to correct vision first come around? According to Dr. Richard Drewry, Jr., "reading stones" (what we would call a magnifying glass) were first developed around 1,000 A.D. to help presbyopic monks read scripture. These glass spheres could be laid against reading material to magnify the letters. Artisans in Venice later learned how to craft glass into lenses which were held in a frame in front of the eyes, rather than laid directly on the reading material.

1,000 A.D. not long enough ago for you? There is also evidence to suggest that the Romans used water-filled glasses to magnify print as early as 4 B.C.

Fortunately, advancements in eyewear, technology and surgical correction over the past few decades are truly staggering. Don't settle for poor vision! Make an appointment with your optometrist today and "See the Best."

A Short History of White Canes

In 1921, James Biggs, a photographer from Bristol, England, became blind following an accident. Because he was feeling uncomfortable with the amount of traffic around his home, he painted his walking stick white to be more easily visible.

In 1930, the late George A. Bonham, President of the Peoria Lions Club (Illinois) introduced the idea of using the white cane with a red band as a means of assisting the blind in independent mobility. The Peoria Lions approved the idea, white canes were made and distributed, and the Peoria City Council adopted an ordinance giving the bearers the right-of-way to cross the street. News of the club's activity spread quickly to other Lions clubs throughout the United States, and their visually handicapped friends experimented with the white canes. Overwhelming acceptance of the white cane idea by the blind and sighted alike quickly gave cane users a unique method of identifying their special need for travel consideration among their sighted counterparts.

Also in 1931, in France, Guilly d'Herbemont recognized the danger to blind people in traffic and launched a national "white stick movement" for blind people.
She donated 5,000 white canes to people in Paris.

Today white cane laws are on the books of every state in the US and many other countries, providing blind persons a legal status in traffic. The white cane now universally acknowledges that the bearer is blind.

More Tips for Helping People with Low Vision

Helping friends or family members who suffer from visual impairments just takes common sense and a little forethought. Here are some more tips I've gathered:

1. Ask individuals with sight loss if they need assistance. Don't assume they do and don't help without asking first. If they do need your help, ask how you can best assist them.

2. When walking with a visually impaired person, let him/her take your arm. This way the person can be guided rather than pushed or pulled from place to place. Verbal cues are also helpful. For example, the stair railing is on your right, approaching stairs, curb up/down, etc.

3. If you come to an area that is too narrow for both of you to pass through, place your arm behind your back so the individual will know to step behind you.

4. Always identify yourself, especially when entering a room. Don't say, "Do you know who this is?"

5. Talk directly to individuals with sight loss. Do not speak through a companion. Unless they are hard of hearing, they can speak for themselves. Avoid the tendency to shout, most individuals with sight loss have normal hearing.

6. Try to give a clear word picture when describing things to an individual with sight loss. Include details such as color, texture, shape and landmarks (especially helpful when orienting someone to a room).

7. When serving or eating with someone with a sight loss, tell them what is being served and how it is arranged on their plate. Using the clock system makes it easy - your chicken is at 6 o'clock, potatoes at 10 o'clock, etc.

8. If you must leave a person alone in an open area, leave them in contact with a wall, counter, chair, etc.

9. When using stairs, a verbal cue of "step up" or "step down" is helpful. Also, let him/her know if the railing is on the right or left side.

Fifteen Tips for Family and Friends of Low Vision Patients

I see many low-vision and visually-impaired patients and I've learned a lot from asking them what works and what doesn't work - what they like and what they don't like. Like all of us, they just want to be treated like normal people, regardless of the challenges they face because of vision problems. Here are some tips for family and friends of those with visual impairments:

1. Be direct about their vision. Ask questions so that you know of the challenges their vision present.

2. Identify yourself, and say hello. Don’t assume that others can see or recognize you.

3. Give clear directions. Say in words everything you want to convey.

4. Use black felt-tip or ink pens, and print in clear lettering. Always write notes so that they can be read, and consider calling instead.

5. Give low-vision gifts. Some suggestions: talking calculators, watches, clocks, thermometers, weight scales, or computer software. Large-button or automatic-dialing telephones, large print cards, clocks, calendars, or address books. Books on tape or tickets to a concert. Help purchase a CCTV.

6. Keep the environment predictable. Keep frequently-used items like house keys, salt shakers, and trash bags in designated places. Put things away after you use them, and close cupboard and stairwell doors. Return any item you move to the place you found it.

7. Offer your arm, don’t take theirs. Don’t take their arm, because you may throw them off-balance. Offer help where it’s necessary, but don’t just do it yourself.

8. Don’t just do it for your them. Don’t assume that because of low vision your parent or friend isn’t capable, and don’t take away anyone’s reason for having to be up and about in the morning.

9. Share activities you both enjoy. Some suggestions: Dine out. Attend a wine tasting or food fair. Go to the symphony or an opera concert. Go to a botanical garden. Go to a lecture series, a book reading, or poetry reading. Start or join a salon, discussion group, or support group.

10. Encourage interests. Encourage hobbies, volunteer work, membership in senior clubs or support groups, and listening to National Public Radio news or to Newsweek on cassette tape. Just coping with low vision as a full-time preoccupation is a short-term recipe for boredom, and a long-term recipe for personal distress and crisis.

11. Realize the importance of friends. Without any friends, seniors are prone to loneliness, which may lead to clinical depression. Adult children would do their parents a great service by helping them make or keep friends.

12. Watch for depression. Depression is very common among people with visual impairments. Be aware of changes in your friend or family member’s emotional state, sleeping patterns, weight, or behavior. Signals for depression are excessive worry, bouts of crying, listlessness or disinterest, low motivation, pessimism or snippiness, social withdrawal, a refusal to communicate or an excessively stiff upper lip, moping, or helplessness. If you see signs of depression, make a doctor’s appointment, pursue visual rehabilitation, and encourage involvement in new activities.

13. Participate in visual rehabilitation. There are many practical things you can do to help someone follow a program of visual rehabilitation. Here are just a few suggestions:
Help rearrange furniture, tape down area rugs, install new lighting fixtures, choose contrasting tablecloths or dishes. Help rearrange clothing on shelves for better visibility. Help label files, boxes, bottle, stove dials, washing machine dials, and canned goods. Talk directly to your friend or family member about his or her experiences and feelings about low vision.

14. Help start a support group. At a low vision support group, your friend or family member would have the chance to talk to people who have walked a mile in their shoes and can understand their experiences. They can also be very helpful for spouses of people with low vision.

15. Keep your sense of humor. We are all prone to taking life too seriously. Let your friend or family member see the daily humor in this busy, unpredictable, ridiculous, profound, heartbreaking, and heartwarming experience we call living.