Worthy Causes: Lions/LSU Regional Low Vision Center
by Karen Gibbs
In 1999, pharmacy tech Mary Thompson was diagnosed with macular degeneration. The doctor’s words caught her off guard. She thought her difficulty in reading small print was a normal part of aging. The doctor prescribed vitamins with minerals, which Mary took faithfully. At that point, she thought that was all she could do.
“In the next few years, my eyesight deteriorated,” Mary recalls. “I was unable to drive my car and had to depend on others to bring me around.” Her life became even more complicated when she realized that, with such limited vision, she could no longer perform her job. She even had to depend on others to accompany her to the grocery and read the labels and prices to her. “Needless to say, I felt totally handicapped,” she confesses.
That’s when Dr. Steve Gill and the Lions/LSU Regional Low Vision Center came into her life. Mary remembers being at home, sitting two feet from the TV so she could see the screen. Meg Farris was interviewing Dr. Gill on how the low vision program helps people get the most out of the little sight they have left. With the help of her sister, Mary went to the Channel 4 website and found the number for the Lions/LSU Regional Low Vision Center. She contacted the center and made an appointment.
Dr. Gill evaluated Mary’s condition and prescribed some low vision devices to help Mary do the things she loved most. “After training and practicing with Rachel (Kancewick), the occupational therapist, I learned how to use the devices, and they helped improve my ability to see,” Mary adds. “Now, less than six months later, I am able to enjoy things I had given up on.”
Remarkably, Mary can now shop, read the newspaper and cook. She enjoys TV sitting on the couch with her husband instead of alone, 24 inches from the screen. And on those trips with her family, Mary can see all the sights. But, most of all, she can go back to her favorite hobby of painting. “This was like giving me back my passion, my joy and my life,” Mary declares.
Cases such as Mary’s are everyday experiences at the Lions/LSU Regional Low Vision Center. Word is spreading since the center opened its door in September 2006, with about 400 patients being helped in its first year of operation. Currently, the center has offices in Slidell, New Orleans and Houma and, according to Dr. Steve Gill, director, the center’s services will soon expand to Alexandria and Natchitoches.
Dr. Gill believes in taking a very personal approach with his patients because each has unique vision loss, needs and abilities. That is why the evaluation of each patient begins with a comprehensive interview to determine the patient’s health history and visual needs in personal, social, educational and vocational situations. At this point, Dr. Gill prescribes customized low vision aids and devices.
Once patients get their devices, they also receive specialized training from an occupational therapist. The results are encouraging, as patients resume tasks such as reading, writing checks, paying bills, looking at family photos, using a computer, cooking, taking care of themselves and sometimes even driving.
Lions/LSU Regional Low Vision Center is a non-profit collaborative effort between Louisiana Lions Eye Foundation, Lions Clubs International Foundation and LSU Eye Center. Funding for this project is made possible by grants from Lions Clubs International Foundation and local Lions Clubs. The evaluation is generally covered by insurance, but the devices are not. According to Dr. Gill, “We try to work with the patients as much as possible to assure that they are able to obtain the devices they need.”
To schedule a consultation or for more information, call the Lions/LSU Regional Low Vision Center at 985-646-4428. The office is located in front of Northshore Hospital in Slidell at 1850 Gause Blvd, Suite 303.
