Feb 4 2010
To commemorate Low Vision Awareness Month this February, Dr. Sheldon Smith, optometrist at Low Vision of Michigan, P.C., is offering free evaluations to patients diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a leading cause of low vision, in hopes that they might be candidates for a brand-new device designed to enhance or restore sight.
Until recently, very little was available to help individuals suffering from RP. However, Dr. Smith, New Jersey optometrist Errol Rummel, and their colleagues with the International Academy of Low Vision Specialists (IALVS) have discovered a unique way to use telescopic lenses in reverse to enable those with RP to enjoy a more normal, sight-filled life.
"Telescope manufacturer Designs for Vision, Inc. (DVI) has produced a viable series of reverse telescope spectacles that permit us to treat RP patients like never before," said Dr. Smith.
"Most of the patients we see in our low vision clinic can benefit from the low vision devices we have available, allowing them to read, watch TV and sometimes drive again," said Dr. Smith. "Until now, there wasn't much to help RP."