How To Find a Low Vision Doctor
By Liz Segre;
updates by Dr. Gary Heiting
Many people with low vision already have an eye doctor who is treating them for an eye disease
such as macular degeneration,
glaucoma or
retinitis pigmentosa.
If you are visually impaired due to one of these diseases or because of an eye injury or other problem, ask
your eyecare professional about magnifiers and other low vision devices
that can help you read and function independently.
If your doctor doesn't specialize in low vision, he or she may have only a limited knowledge of
the many choices that exist in low vision aids. You may need to ask for a referral to a low vision specialist who can
prescribe low vision devices and train you to use them in everyday situations.
One source that can help you find a low vision doctor is Lighthouse International. You can call
them at 800-829-0500 (select option for "Information") or you can e-mail them
at info@lighthouse.org.
In the Yellow Pages, look under "optometrists"
and "ophthalmologists."
Practitioners who specialize in low vision usually say so in their listing.
On the web, the Internet Low Vision Society
has a directory of specialists. And if you search on the web using the key words "low vision," you'll find several regional sources. For
example, specialists in the Maryland/Virginia/D.C. region are listed on
The Low Vision Information Center's website.
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Eyecare practitioners who specialize in low vision
teach vision-impaired patients how to use low vision devices such as magnifiers and video
magnifying systems. They also prescribe special low vision lenses, such
as magnifying bifocals.
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Who Pays for Low Vision Devices
and Services?
Once you find a low vision specialist, who pays for their services and the low vision
devices recommended? In most cases, you do.
Currently, Medicare provides only limited coverage for low
vision services and visual aids. Unfortunately, future coverage for low vision devices may be denied completely.
In 2006, the federal government's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed denying coverage for
all devices "that use one or more lenses to aid vision or provide magnification of images for impaired vision."
At this time, CMS is reviewing public comments received on the proposal.
But there is some good news regarding Medicare coverage for low vision services. The current once-in-a-lifetime benefit
of up to 90 days for vision rehabilitation services will be allowed yearly beginning April 1, 2008.
In addition, the number of hours of Medicare-covered vision rehabilitation services will increase from nine hours to 12 hours.
(For the latest information on Medicare and Medicaid coverage for low vision aids and services, visit the Department of Health
and Human Service's CMS website.)
When Congress created Medicare in 1965, it excluded from
coverage certain items that were considered routine and low cost, including eyeglasses.
But many low vision devices today cost hundreds of dollars. Some, including closed-circuit television (CCTV) and computerized
magnification systems, can cost thousands.
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