Cleveland Sight Center Offers Assistance to Senior Adults With Eyesight Challenges

As we age, it is typical to experience eyesight loss to at least some degree.  For senior adults with Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), the degree of loss can be frustrating and debilitating.

The National Institutes of Health National Eye Institute defines AMD as "a disease associated with aging that gradually destroys sharp, central vision."

Central vision is located in the middle part of the eye, around the cornea and pupil. For seniors affected by AMD, the central vision becomes increasingly blurry, making it hard to see objects and people, and to do daily tasks such as reading, driving and cooking. Eventually doctors may tell people with AMD that there is nothing more that they can do to control the vision loss.  

For senior adults with AMD or any other type of vision challenge, including blindness, the (CSC) offers programs and products that can help seniors to maintain an active lifestyle.

“The CSC can help you do virtually anything you used to be able to do. We can pick up where your doctor leaves off,” said Peggy Keating, director of the CSC’s Senior Services program.

While the CSC cannot reverse or cure vision challenges, it can teach people how to adapt to them, so they can keep doing the hobbies and activities they enjoy.

CSC counselors visit seniors in their homes throughout the greater Cleveland area, free of charge, to discuss vision loss. They educate people about the programs, products and opportunities that are available nearby. These include no-cost and low-cost solutions, as well as higher-cost technological solutions. They can help seniors conduct daily activities like cooking and cleaning, as well as hobbies like sewing, playing poker, and even sailing and golfing.

Some no-cost suggestions that the CSC recommends include using a white mug for coffee (it’s easier to see how far up to fill the cup), rewriting address books using a wide marker on wide-lined paper, inserting varied numbers of pins in the collar or cuff of clothes to indicate the color, and putting raised marks on stoves, thermostats and microwave controls to find the desired temperatures by touch.

Other programs that the CSC offers include a vision clinic, rehabilitation training, counseling and support groups, access to transportation, home lighting improvements, hobby groups and sport outings and a camping lodge. The CSC also has many vision-related products available in its “Eye-Dea Shop.” The shop carries everything from kitchen timers with easy-to-read numbers to computer software that can read and recite what's on a computer screen.

The CSC’s goal is to help visually-challenged senior adults maintain their quality of life, and stay integrated within the community, to the highest degree possible.

“We want people to know that there’s hope," Keating said. "You don’t have to give up the things you enjoy doing. We help you adapt.” 

The CSC Senior Services office is at 2490 Lee Boulevard in Cleveland Heights, and can be reached at 216-791-8118 or www.clevelandsightcenter.org.