What are Vision Rehabilitation Services?

The term "vision rehabilitation" includes a wide range of professional services that can restore functioning after vision loss, just as physical therapy restores function after a stroke or other injury. Vision rehabilitation services allow people who are blind or have low vision to continue to live independently and maintain quality of life.

Vision rehabilitation services are provided by a team of specially trained professionals, including low vision therapists, vision rehabilitation therapists, and orientation and mobility specialists.

Although your eye doctor is the professional you'll likely turn to first when dealing with your own — or a family member's — vision loss, it's important to note that many different kinds of vision rehabilitation services are available in addition to the eye care provided by your family doctor, ophthalmologist, or optometrist:

• Communication skills: reading and writing, braille, and assistive computer technology;

• Counseling to help you, your spouse, family members, and friends adjust to your vision loss;

• Independent living and personal management skills: home management, home modifications, home mechanics and repair, personal self-care, financial management, leisure activities, and using the telephone;

• Independent movement and travel skills: orienting yourself in indoor and outdoor environments, moving about safely indoors, using transportation, and traveling safely outdoors with a long white cane or other device;

• Low vision evaluations and training with low vision devices: hand-held magnifiers, special reading glasses, telescopes, high intensity lamps, and other optical and non-optical devices that can make the best use of remaining vision;

• Support groups that provide you with the opportunity to meet other adults who are blind or have low vision;

• Vocational rehabilitation: vocational evaluation and training, job training, job modification and restructuring, and job placement.