Low Vision Clinics

Outreach Low Vision Services Schedule 2011-2012

The Maryland School for the Blind's Statewide Services program offers monthly low vision clinics on campus and also day-long regional low vision clinics that provide functional vision assessments, help identify and access needed resources, prescribe, demonstrate, and/or loan low-vision technology devices and information on topics related to vision impairment. 

The Maryland School for the Blind (MSB) Outreach Low Vision Service continues to offer clinical low vision evaluations at MSB and in the counties upon request.  The clinics at MSB are offered on the second Friday of the month between 9:15 am and 11:15 am and include ophthalmological, low vision, social work and occupational therapy services.  Regional Low Vision Clinics are also able to be provided at a location decided upon by the county, based on students that need to be seen, and include MSB’s Low Vision Ophthalmologist and Low Vision Specialist.

The goal of the Clinical Low Vision Evaluation is to identify strategies and devices that will maximize the students’ ability to use their vision during daily activities.  The evaluation includes assessment of color vision, contrast sensitivity, near and distance acuities, visual field, lighting and visual perceptual screening.  A variety of strategies and optical and non-optical devices are presented for assessment and available for loan following the evaluation.

Vision Simulation:
The majority of MSB students are not totally blind.
Here are examples of the most common visual impairments found among many students:

Normal visual fields Normal visual acuity	Central visual field loss most often associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD)	Heminanopsia Associated with traumatic brain injury
Peripheral visual field loss/"tunnel vision" associated with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP)	Reduced peripheral acuity (early glaucoma)	Reduced visual acuity
Reduced visual fields	Central visual field loss and reduced visual acuity	Combined central visual field loss and reduced visual acuity. Associated with diabetes.

For more information about Low Vision Clinics contact:
Sharon Whited, Low Vision Specialist
410.444.5000 ext. 1276    sharonw@mdschblind.org