EMBARK ON A ‘JOURNEY TO BETTER VISION’
AT UH
College of Optometry’s Center for Sight Enhancement Hosts
Open House, Free Screenings for Low Vision
There’s hope for those whose poor vision prevents them from
reading, driving and other taken-for-granted tasks at an open house
with free screenings for the public, hosted by the Center for Sight
Enhancement (CSE) at the University of Houston College of Optometry
Saturday, Nov. 20.
With its mission to help Houstonians with low vision improve daily
living, the CSE at UH is an internationally recognized clinical
low vision program designed to reduce the disabling impact of vision
loss. Providing vision rehabilitation, CSE clinics include the UH
location as its main clinical teaching facility, along with a satellite
clinic at Baylor College of Medicine in the Texas Medical Center.
The CSE gives alternatives to patients who face the challenges of
maintaining an independent lifestyle and performing everyday tasks.
Even with glasses, contact lenses, medicine or surgery, people
who have low vision find everyday activities difficult to do.
Due to vision loss, about one in 20 Americans find it challenging
to read the mail, shop, cook, watch television or write, cites the
National Eye Institute. Many people have low vision due to age-related
macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy.
“Research shows that nothing is more devastating and life
changing than the loss of vision,” said Randy Jose, associate
professor at the UH College of Optometry and CSE director. “Our
capabilities to do things as simple as reading or taking care of
ourselves are all controlled by how well we see.”
The open house, called “Journey to Better Vision,”
will help answer such questions as what it takes to begin reading
or driving again and how the CSE can improve daily living. A tour
will feature the center, and four optional 45-minute lectures on
topics such as driving and independent living also will be presented.
Some will be featured in Spanish, and CSE clinical staff will provide
free low vision screenings to help visitors determine if they are
good candidates for low vision services.
In a tour of the Houston Delta Gamma Foundation Low Vision and
Independent Living Service, visitors will participate in a demonstration
of aids and the latest technology that make daily tasks easier.
For more than 30 years, the Houston Delta Gamma Foundation has supported
programs for the blind and visually impaired, raising nearly $2
million over the years.
For more information, the public can contact 713-743-0799.
WHAT: |
UH College of Optometry Center for Sight Enhancement
“Journey to Better Vision” Open House |
WHEN: |
11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 20 |
WHERE: |
UH University Eye Institute – Entrance 2, off Calhoun
Boulevard |
For more information about the UH Center for Sight Enhancement,
visit www.uei.uh.edu/LowVision/LowVision.shtml
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For more information about UH visit the universitys Newsroom at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
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