Occupational therapy and low vision rehabilitation

This article addresses low vision rehabilitation programs and the certified occupational therapy assistant's role in a low vision, outpatient, ambulatory-care service. An individual who acquires low vision secondary to eye or brain pathology may have some useful vision but not enough to facilitate ease in performing activities of dail living. Visual tasks, such as reading, writing, homemaking and leisure activities become quite difficult without medical and therapeutic intervention. In these instances, the efforts of eye care professionals and occupational therapists can be coordinated to provide a holistic approach to patient treatment. The primary objective in utilizing a low vision rehabilitation program is to provide instruction to patients with low vision problems in activities of daily living through the use of optical/nonoptical aids to achieve functional independence.