Connecticut Low Vision Specialist: Dr. Randolph Kinkade

Spectacle Miniature Telescope

Low Vision is a term used to describe vision loss that is not able to be corrected by standard eyeglasses or contact lenses.  It cannot be corrected by medication or surgery.  Low Vision interferes with the ability to see well enough to perform everyday activities like reading, writing, and driving.

 

Dr. Randolph Kinkade is able to help certain patients with vision loss to keep reading, writing, driving and performing many other important daily and leisure activities.

 





Bioptic

 

Dr. Kinkade,  as a founding member of the International Academy of Low Vision Specialists (IALVS), meets twice a year to advance the field of low vision with top optical designers and laboratories.

 

 

 

 



Binocular Reading Telescopes

 

 

He has practiced in the field of low vision rehabilitation for 30 years. He is a lecturer, researcher and inventor.  He has helped people see better from as far away as Israel, Peru, Canada and Barbados.

 

 

 




 

 



Prismatic Magnifying Reading Glasses

In addition to his optometric degree (OD) from the Illinois College of Optometry, he pursued a Master in Public Health (MPH), adapting his studies to concentrate on the prevention of disabilities related to vision impairments.

 

 

 

 



Electronic (Video) Reading Machine

 

He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO) Low Vision Section and a member of the Vision Rehabilitation Section of the American Optometric Association.



Low Vision Eye Chart

Special low vision eye charts are used that are different from the eye charts "seen" in a regular eye examination. Low vision eye charts contain large letters and numbers that can help determine the sharpness or clarity of both reading and distance vision.  This helps in evaluating Spectacle Miniature Telescopes (SMTs) and rehabilitation potential.

(800) 756-0766

 

rkinkade@optonline.net

www.LowVisionEyeglasses.com

Cheshire - Danbury - Farmington - Litchfield - Manchester - Norwalk - Waterford

 

Connecticut Low Vision Specialist

 

Dr. Randolph Kinkade, Low Vision Optometric Specialist

Dr. Kinkade is a Low Vision Specialist in Connecticut with seven office locations.  "Low vision" is a reduced level of vision that cannot be corrected with regular eyeglasses. It is not the same as blindness, because a person with low vision has useful sight. However, low vision usually interferes with daily activities, such as reading or driving. People with low vision find it difficult to recognize faces and objects beyond a certain distance.

 

WTNH Dr. Kinkade Interview

Dr. Kinkade has practiced in the field of low vision rehabilitation for 30 years. He often lectures on the newest options for enhancing sight.  He evaluates patients from throughout New England and New York. He has treated patients from as far away as Israel, Peru, Canada and Barbados.

In addition to Dr. Kinkade's optometric degree (OD) from the Illinois College of Optometry, he pursued a Master in Public Health (MPH), adapting his studies to concentrate on the prevention of disabilities related to vision impairments. 

Dr. Kinkade's Implantable Miniature Telescope Educational Video

 
He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO) Low Vision Section and a member of the Vision Rehabilitation Section of the American Optometric Association.

Dr. Kinkade works with his patients' goals, whether that is reading the newspaper, watching television, writing, playing cards, or viewing the computer. In many states telescopic eye glasses can help some people continue to drive.

Spectacle Miniature Telescope

"I find it hard to understand when doctors tell their patients nothing more can be done for their vision. This is usually true from a surgical, medical and regular eyeglasses point of view, but it is not true when talking about telescopic glasses!"

If people with low vision are willing to learn new ways of seeing then Dr. Kinkade may be able to help. He tells his patients, "I cannot make your vision the way it was, but I can often make it better".

Every patient's eyes and needs are different. "I never want to give false hope, but we do not know if we do not try."

Electronic Magnification Reading Machine

"Every case is unique because people have different levels of vision loss and different needs," explains Dr. Kinkade. "If these specialty glasses are not able to help my patients, there is assistive technology that can."


Common causes of low vision, particularly with older adults, include macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy.



Prismatic Magnifying Reading Glasses

To determine the extent of your useful vision, you will need to have your eyes examined. The examination for low vision differs from typical eye examination. During a low vision examination, Dr. Kinkade will do the following tests:

• Trial Lens Refraction allowing the use of peripheral vision in the case of macular degeneration
• Specialized Eye Charts to measure acuity and vision improvement potential
• Central Visual Field testing to determine blind spots (scotomas) for Eccentric View Training
• D-15 Color Vision Testing
• Spectacle Miniature Telescope Evaluation (high power eyeglass magnification)
• Optical Magnification Assessment
• Electronic Magnification Assessment
• Implantable Miniature Telescope Evaluation

(800) 756-0766

rkinkade@optonline.net

www.LowVisionEyeglasses.com

Cheshire - Danbury - Farmington - Litchfield - Manchester - Norwalk - Waterford

 

 

Low Vision Magnification for Macular Degeneration

 

 

Spectacle Miniature Telescopes (SMTs) improve vision.  Ever look through a pair of binoculars... Things look a lot bigger, a lot more closer, and much easier to see. 

 

Dr. Randolph Kinkade, a Connecticut low vision optometrist, is able to help certain patients with vision loss to keep reading, writing, driving, and performing many other important daily and leisure activities.  He offers treatment for patients with mild low vision, who are just starting to have difficulty reading, and those patients who have moderate to profound vision loss and are legally blind.

Dr. Kinkade works with ophthalmologists, optometrists, opticians, occupational therapists, and other rehabilitation specialists to maximize vision. As a founding member of the International Academy of Low Vision Specialists, he meets twice a year to advance the field of low vision.

Dr. Kinkade's mission is to search out every possible way to keep a person functioning whether it's reading, seeing television, looking at the computer, recognizing faces, or writing a check.

 

(800) 756-0766

rkinkade@optonline.net

www.LowVisionEyeglasses.com

Cheshire - Danbury - Farmington - Litchfield - Manchester - Norwalk - Waterford

Low Vision Wish List

Low Vision Rehabilitation is all about quality of life and improving daily activities.  It is also about setting realistic visually-guided goals. 



Binocular Reading Spectacle Miniature Telescope

Spectacle Miniature Telescopes (SMTs), Implantable Miniature Telescopes (IMTs) and Electronic Magnification Aids will make vision better.  How much better?  That depends on the level of vision, what you want to see and do, and your ability to learn new ways of seeing. 

          Activities of Daily Living

Reading a book or the newspaper 

Reading prescriptions and medicine bottles   

Writing checks and using the check register

 

Watching television

          Seeing and recognizing faces

Reading price tags and package ingredients

 

Reading recipes and directions

 

Resuming hobbies and recreational activities

 

Spotting walk signs and street signs
 

Dr. Kinkade demonstrating a SMT and Electronic Magnification

Clink on the links below for more information

 

Spectacle Miniature Telescopes (SMTs)

Implantable Miniature Telescopes (IMTs)

Prismatic Eyeglasses

E-Scoop Glasses

Electronic Magnification Reading Systems

No two patients with low vision see and function in the same way.  A low vision evaluation determines what glasses and devices are most appropriate to regain and maximize vision.
 

 

(800) 756-0766

rkinkade@optonline.net

 

www.LowVisionEyeglasses.com

Cheshire - Danbury - Farmington - Litchfield - Manchester - Norwalk - Waterford

 

 

 

 

 

When Magnifiers Are No Longer Helpful For Macular Degeneration

Macular Degeneration is the leading cause of blindness for Americans over the age of 60 and affects as many as 15 million people in the United States. That number is projected to grow to 30 million within the next 10 years.
 

Macular Degeneration is a progressive disease that leads to damage of cells in the retina in the back of the eye. It affects the central vision in the area called the macula. When the macula is damaged, vision is blurred or distorted.

 

When this happens, individuals have difficulty seeing well enough to do activities that require fine detail vision, like reading, driving, recognizing faces and watching television.

 

Magnifiers no longer helpful for macular degeneration patient.



This patient was tried almost every design and strength of hand-held magnifier available over the past 6 years. She could no longer read with any other them. She kept getting stronger (smaller in size) magnifiers as her macular degeneration progressed. Prior to her appointment she was asked her to bring the magnifiers she was using and even those magnifiers that were no longer helpful. She followed that request as you can see by her collection sitting on the examination chair.

Dr. Kinkade is able to help certain patients with macular degeneration and low vision to keep reading, writing, driving and performing many other important daily and leisure activities. If you or a loved one is struggling with low vision please select one of the links below to learn about the Services and Products offered by Dr. Kinkade.
 

• Spectacle Miniature Telescopes (SMTs)


• Implantable Miniature Telescopes (IMTs)


• Prismatic Eyeglasses


• E-Scoop Glasses


• Electronic Magnification Reading Systems

(800) 756-0766

rkinkade@optonline.net

www.LowVisionEyeglasses.com

Cheshire - Danbury - Farmington - Litchfield - Manchester - Norwalk - Waterford

Implantable Miniature Telescope: Connecticut News Advisory

Connecticut’s First Doctor Team Formed to Offer Patients Suffering from Macular Degeneration a New FDA-Approved Surgical Option

 

Dr. Randolph Kinkade is part of first doctor team to offer Telescopic Implants for Macular Degeneration in Connecticut.

 

Implantable Miniature Telescope (IMT) on Dr. Kinkade's finger

 

 

 

PR Web News Advisory

Link to the Complete Story

 

 

 

For additional information on the IMT in Connecticut contact Dr. Kinkade.

(800) 756-0766

rkinkade@optonline.net

www.LowVisionEyeglasses.com

Cheshire - Danbury - Farmington - Litchfield - Manchester - Norwalk - Waterford

 

Macular Degeneration Low VisionTreatment News Advisory

Connecticut’s First Doctor Team formed to offer patients suffering from Macular Degeneration a NEW FDA-Approved surgical option.

Telescopic Implants for Macular Degeneration now available in CT.  

Thanks to a new FDA approved technology and the formation of Connecticut’s first multi-disciplinary medical team, patients suffering with macular degeneration (AMD), now have a new low vision rehabilitation option.

 

Dr. Randolph Kinkade

Diagram of a Telescopic Implant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Doctors

Dr. Mark Milner, cornea-cataract surgeon, Dr. Nauman Chaudhry, a retina specialist, and Dr. Randolph Kinkade, a low vision optometrist, have teamed up in CT, to provide patients with real options in restoring some of the lost vision that results from AMD.  The trio is Connecticut’s first Implantable Miniature Telescope (IMT) rehabilitation team.  This integrated approach provides patients with not only the first surgical option but also an entire treatment program with the oversight of a team of highly trained physicians.

“Up to now, these patients have been told by their doctors ‘sorry, there is nothing we can do for you,’ ” said Dr. Kinkade.

The Technology

The New FDA Approved technology is Centrasight™, a new treatment program for end-stage AMD from VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies using the Implantable Miniature Telescope (by Dr. Isaac Lipshitz).  The CentraSight treatment program uses a tiny telescope that is implanted inside the eye to improve vision and quality of life for individuals affected by End-Stage AMD. End-Stage AMD is the most advanced form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The CentraSight treatment program involves four steps: 1) diagnosis, 2) candidate evaluation, 3) implantation and 4) rehabilitation.

 

The IMT replaces a developing cataract in the eye and is about an eighth of an inch in length. It fits behind and through the pupil. IMT is not a cure for macular degeneration, but rather a rehabilitation tool used to enhance their remaining vision.

“The IMT is a technological wonder and the surgery is 21^st century medicine,” stated Dr. Kinkade.  “It is the closest we have to a bionic eye since it replaces some of the lost precision vision, but it is the therapy after surgery that we see the real gain in vision.”

 IMT surgery and the related treatment programs are covered by Medicare.

The Disease

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a medical condition, which usually affects older adults and results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field (the macula) because of damage to the retina. It is a major cause of blindness and visual impairment in older adults over 50 years of age.

 Approximately 2 million Americans have advanced forms of AMD with its associated vision loss. People with advanced macular degeneration are no longer able to see to read and write, drive a car, or recognize family and friends.

Although some macular dystrophies affecting younger individuals are sometimes referred to as macular degeneration, the term AMD generally refers to the age-related condition. 

The Patients and Protocol

The telescope implant has been shown to improve vision and quality of life in patients with End-Stage AMD, the most advanced form of AMD in which individuals have lost central vision in both eyes. Not everyone who has End-Stage AMD is a candidate for the CentraSight treatment program. 

Some people with AMD may benefit from Spectacle Miniature Telescopes (SMTs).  SMTs use mini-telescopes fabricated into eyeglasses that provide 2-3 times the magnification of regular glasses.  Dr. Kinkade has been prescribing SMTs for patients with macular degeneration and other low vision conditions for over 20 years.

Dr. Kinkade holding an IMT

For additional information on the IMT in Connecticut contact Dr. Kinkade.

(800) 756-0766

rkinkade@optonline.net

www.LowVisionEyeglasses.com

Cheshire - Danbury - Farmington - Litchfield - Manchester - Norwalk - Waterford

First Retinal Implant for End-Stage Retinitis Pigmentosa

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the Arugus II Retinal Prosthesis System the first retinal implant for advanced Retina Pigmentosa (RP).  The device includes a tine video camera, a transmitter mounted on a pair of glasses, a video processing unit  (VPU) and an implanted retinal prosthesis.

 

The retinal prosthesis acts as an artificial retina be replacing the degenerated cells in the retina the light sensitive layer in the back of the eye.  The VPU transforms images from the video camera into electronic data that is wirelessly transmitted to the retinal prosthesis.

 

The Argus II system is for people with severe to profound RP who have barely any light perception left of have no light perception at all.  The idea is to be able to replace a patient's ability to perceive images and movement.

 

Patients must be able and willing to have post-implant follow-up care including device fitting and low vision rehabilitation.

NEI Photographs

Retinitis pigmentosa is an inherited, degenerative eye disease that causes server to profound vision impairments including blindness. The condition is highly variable with some people showing symptoms in childhood and others are not aware of their condition until later in life.





 

(800) 756-0766

rkinkade@optonline.net

www.LowVisionEyeglasses.com

Cheshire - Danbury - Farmington - Litchfield - Manchester - Norwalk - Waterford



 



 

Low Vision Treatment for Macular Degeneration

 The Latest Low Vision Treatment Options

for Macular Degeneration and Other Low Vision Conditions

Spectacle Miniature Telescopes

Spectacle Miniature Telescopes (SMTs) are mini-telescopes built into glasses.  SMTs allow the patient’s prescription to be incorporated inside telescope as well as into the eyeglass lens.   The telescopes can be prescribed for one or both eyes depending the level of vision and the patient’s goals. 

 

 

 

Reading SMTs are beneficial for reading, seeing the computer, cards, and crafts.

Full-diameter SMTs are used for reading, television and seeing faces.

Bioptic SMTs are best used for driving, walking, theater, museums, and scenery. 

 

Implantable Miniature Telescopes

Implantable Miniature Telescopes (IMTs) are micro-telescope inserted into one eye providing a magnified central image to improve vision in patients with advanced macular degeneration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Kinkade is part of the first doctor team to bring the IMT to Connecticut.

Candidates for the IMT have no other medical treatment options.  Up to now, these patients have been told by their doctors “sorry there is nothing we can do for you”.

The IMT is not a cure for macular degeneration, but rather a rehabilitation tool used to enhance remaining vision. 

Dr. Kinkade has have been fitting Spectacle Mounted Microscopes, SMTs, for over 20 years to help patients see better.  For certain patients, the IMT may offer a better rehabilitation option.

The IMT replaces a developing cataract in the eye and is about an 1/8^th of an inch in length.  It fits behind and through the pupil.

The IMT is a technological wonder and the surgery is 21^st century medicine.  It is the closest we have to a bionic eye because is replaces some of the lost precision vision, but it is the therapy after surgery that we see the real gain in useful vision.

Prismatics

Prismatic eyeglasses use prism to enhance reading vision.  They are useful for patients whose two eyes are approximately equal in vision and require relatively lower magnification.  They are often beneficial for reading the newspaper and for writing checks.

E-Scoops

The E-Scoop glasses use a special combination of prism, lens thickness and curvatures, custom yellow tint and anti-reflective coatings.   Vision is enhanced and shifted to a different part of the macula allowing the patient to see better.  They help seeing clearer in the distance and are especially helpful for driving.
 

 

                      

                                                                                                                               

Electronic Magnification Reading Systems

Electronic Magnifiers and Close Circuit Televisions (CCTVs) are also known as Video Magnifiers. Reading ability can be restored for those with macular degeneration and low vision. These low vision aids use a variable power magnifying camera (low to very high) and a video monitor of different sizes.

 

They offer a variety of contrast options, such as reverse (white letters on a black background) or black letters on a yellow background. Altering the contrast can often make reading easier and less tiring. The color feature allows photographs of family and friends to be enjoyed.

 

Desktop Video Magnifiers
These units have large LCD flat screen monitors ranging from 19” to 24”. They provide the highest levels of electronic magnification with the greatest field of view. Under the camera at the base is a moveable tray for easier viewing and writing.

These units are strongly recommended for reading longer materials, such as newspapers or books. They are often the best for writing, filling out checks and forms, viewing photographs, or doing handiwork.


Portable Video Magnifiers
While not providing as much magnification as a desktop unit, they are easily transportable since the screen is 3.5” to 5” in size. They also have several contrast options and three or four levels of magnification.

They are used for activities such as seeing photographs, reading grocery store labels, menus, prescription bottles, or scanning mail. 

A special feature is their ability to temporarily capture and freeze an image being seen. This is helpful for looking at objects on a shelf over head or at dials at the back of a stove.

 

 

(800) 756-0766

rkinkade@optonline.net

www.LowVisionEyeglasses.com

Cheshire - Danbury - Farmington - Litchfield - Manchester - Norwalk - Waterford