LowVision Working Station

The instrumentation employed in the visual rehabilitation centers are the same used by ophthalmologists, while person in charge is not always is an ophthalmologist. So, for the patient becomes normal to ask questions of all kinds, including medical requests to which who is not a doctor can not answer. From a psychological point of view, this can create confusion and doubt to accept something that could further damage the view (the most of these patients believes that will become blind). Since most of the professionals involved in the visual rehabilitation are not medical doctors, a strumentation that clearly emphasizes the type of activity that takes place reassures the patient and puts him in better condition to work with and enthusiastically accept the proposals of the professional.

Without an adequate instrumentation, the low vision consultant must give an explanation about who he is and how he plan to achieve the target of interest of the patient (10-20 minutes), then start to perform the optometric evaluation on the residual visual acuity to calculate magnification and which lighting will serve the patient to satisfy its priority need (15-20 minutes) and then proceed to the practical test by presenting different types of devices (20-60 minutes). At the end of this path, he will ask to the patient what is best for him and will make the offer to purchase. Faced with a choice of different possibilities, the patient often remains in doubt take time and prefers postponing the purchase later, which sometimes does not do.

With the RGB-LED panel it is presented to the patient a table of optotypes of which should read at least the first line (20/1000), from the result we know the theoretical magnification necessary, so we have immediately the knowledge if we can meet the needs of the patient, in the adverse event, we are able to report what are our concerns and prevent the patient will make illusions about the outcome. The first thing the patient notices when approaching to the Low Vision Working Station is that the professional is next to him and not divided by a barrier of tools (which immediately creates a division that sometimes prevents an open and productive cooperation). All tests and subsequent tests are performed without moving the patient, so that he can feel himself perfectly independent (and not obliged to ask to others help in order to move from one location to another). The visual aids proposed are suggested by the SAVA software that processed all the data entered providing an appropriate indication, limiting greatly to the patient the question of which visual aid he prefers. The time for the whole procedure never exceeded an hour, allowed to prepare a full report to the physician, the documentation for insurance and any documents provided by social security institutions just pressing the print key. There never was any patient who has refused the final prescription, thanks to the careful selection that is made in the first five minutes of taking charge.