Adult Low Vision Evaluations
Adult low vision examinations are offered in our office clinic in Warwick, RI. This appointment includes a low vision evaluation with Dr. Helene Bradley or Dr. Micaela Gobeille and a follow-up visit with an IN-SIGHT Rehabilitation Teacher. This examination is not a substitute for regular visits to your eye doctor. Our Low Vision Clinic offers an alternative to those for whom traditional optometry and glasses no longer help. Our optometrists can recommend various strategies and techniques and prescription adaptive devices that might help maximize your residual, functional vision.
If unsure whether you are a candidate for a low vision exam, speak with your primary eye care professional or call us. Our staff would be happy to guide you through the process.
For more information or to schedule an exam, contact: Rick Andrade at (401) 941-3322.
Medicare and most private insurance companies generally cover low vision exams, less any copays or deductibles you must pay due to your agreement with your insurance company.
During the low vision exam, we may need to do refraction, or eye test, to determine the level of magnification you need. Medicare does not cover the cost of this test but requires that we charge Medicare patients a fee for the test if it is done as part of the exam. The typical price is $15 due at the time of the visit.
Pediatric Low Vision Evaluations
Through a partnership between IN-SIGHT and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS University), Dr. Greg Waldorf offers specialized low vision exams for children from six months to seventeen years old in our low vision clinic. Using a variety of techniques, Dr. Waldorf can determine what a child can and cannot see and make recommendations to families and teachers about the best ways to help the child maximize their remaining vision. The cost of these services is covered by private and public health insurance.
Children aged six months to three years are generally referred to this service through their early intervention case coordinator. Children over three are generally referred to the program through their caseworker at Rhode Island State Services for the Blind.
Video Magnifier Rentals
A video magnifier, or closed-circuit television (CCTV), provides a magnified image for people with low vision to enable them to maintain an independent lifestyle at work, home, or school. A video magnifier comprises a camera, monitor, lighting, and usually a stand.
IN-SIGHT rents gently used video magnifiers for $20 per month (plus a small one-time fee for delivery, if needed). The monthly payment is low enough to accommodate folks who may not be able to afford a new machine or those that would like to try the device out before purchasing a new one. IN-SIGHT does not sell new machines, but we can recommend area dealers who do.