Low Vision Eyeglasses LowVisionEyeglasses.com: September 2013

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Connecticut Eye Doctor Updates Book on Macular Degeneration Eyeglasses

Dr. Randolph Kinkade, optometrist and founding member of the International Academy of Low Vision Specialists, announces the expanded version of Guide for Macular Degeneration Eyeglasses: Low Vision Treatment.

The book contains over 150 patient photographs demonstrating macular degeneration low vision glasses. New chapters and updates show practical and unique eyeglass designs. Vision enhancing techniques are also discussed.

The book has been written for those suffering from macular degeneration and their doctors. “The biggest challenge for helping people is they have no idea these special glasses exist”, said Dr. Kinkade.

For reading and writing there are Prismatic Magnifying Readers (PMRs), Spectacle Miniature Telescopes (SMTs) and ClearImage II Reading Microscopes. They provide higher magnification than regular eyeglasses, often making reading easier.

Health News Television Interview with Dr. Kinkade

A person is considered to have “low vision” when they experience a reduction in eyesight that cannot be corrected by regular glasses, surgery or medication. Unless treated, low vision interferes with the many visually-guided tasks we perform every day.

For seeing better in the distance (5 feet and beyond), like watching television, driving and seeing people’s faces, new E-Scoop Glasses and Spectacle Miniature Telescopes (SMTs) are available.

Spectacle Miniature Telescope Video

Many eye doctors are not fully aware of all the high-power magnification eyeglass options that are available for their patients. “If their patients are willing to learn new ways of seeing, these glasses will help”, said Dr. Kinkade. “The glasses cannot make vision perfect, but the vision is definitely better. A lot depends on the level of vision loss, what the patient wants to see and do, and their ability to adapt to new ways of seeing.”

The book was written to increase public awareness regarding the many eyeglass options that are available for those who have been told “sorry there is nothing more I can do for you”.

Electronic copies of the book have been distributed to as far away as Singapore and Australia. Hard copies are being placed in the waiting rooms of retina specialists and other eye doctor’s in Connecticut.

The electronic version contains links to videos, television interviews, websites, and a low vision blog. Dr. Kinkade updates the book as technology advances and as more patients gain successes.

Dr. Kinkade’s book can be downloaded for free from his website LowVisionEyeglasses. The book can also be downloaded from Vision Dynamics, a store selling electronic magnification tools and assistive products for those with macular degeneration.

To see if you or someone you know can benefit from low vision eyeglasses please call Dr. Kinkade at (800) 756-0766. He has offices throughout Connecticut.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Magnification Treatment for Macular Degeneration Low Vision

Prismatic Magnifying Readers (PMRs) and Spectacle Miniature Telescopes (SMTs) treat macular degeneration and other vision loss conditions (low vision). Dr. Randolph Kinkade, a Connecticut optometrist and founding member of the International Academy of Low Vision Specialists, understands how to maximize eyesight when there has been permanent vision loss.

Dr. Kinkade and Guide for Macular Degeneration Eyeglasses

Low vision can make daily activities such as reading the newspaper, writing a check or driving the car difficult or impossible. With low vision, the vision loss cannot be corrected completely with regular glasses, surgery or medication.

Macular degeneration is the most common cause of low vision. However, other eye conditions such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, optic nerve disease, eye injuries and birth defects can lead to permanent vision loss. This vision loss can be mild to severe.

Low vision means people have to change how they do things. Special low vision glasses (high-power and telescopic), large print, video magnification and special software are devices to help with vision loss.

“Magnification is the key to low vision treatment”, said Dr. Kinkade. “Magnification in the form of glasses, rather than having to hold a magnifier, is the ideal goal for low vision rehabilitation”.

There are limits to how much effective magnification a regular pair of glasses can deliver. The more magnification that is required to read, the closer the reading material must be held to the glasses.

Prismatic Magnifying Readers offer increased magnification while allowing both eyes to work better together for additional enhancement. The vision needs to be relatively equal in both eyes for PMRs to be most beneficial. These glasses reduce the eye strain and fatigued often accompanied when reading material must be held close. Holding reading material close allows for the extra magnification.

Spectacle Miniature Telescopes (SMTs) offer magnification at a more normal reading distance. SMTs use 2-3 lenses in combination to provide the power and increased viewing distance. They can be fit for one or both eyes. They can be helpful for seeing playing cards on the table, reading piano music, or painting. They can also be useful for distance magnification for seeing faces, television, and road signs.

“Due to laws of optics and physics and the anatomy of the eye, as magnification increases the field of view decreases”, said Dr. Kinkade. “When the field of view deceases, less of the page can be seen at a time. This means that the patient must learn to scan more across a line of print when reading”.