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Low-Vision Aids for Partially Sighted Persons
LOW-VISION AIDS FOR PARTIALLY SIGHTED P E R S O N S ROBERT V. SPURNEY,
M.D.
Cleveland, Ohio
An obstacle to the more widespread use of optical aids for partially sighted persons is the great variety of such devices needed to provide for the specific needs of each pa tient.1"3 Spectacle-borne aids 1 present an ad ditional problem—if these are prescribed but later found not to be optimal, replacement with a new aid is a considerable expense for the patient. More visually handicapped pa tients would be helped if a simple, flexible method could be found to streamline dis pensing by standardizing sizes of spectacle aids so that they could be used interchange ably in spectacles of varying sizes and shapes. A recent innovation at the Low Vi sion Ginic of the Cleveland Society for the Blind meets some of these requirements.
mounted in a frame using minimal equip ment. To date, frames incorporating an eyewire secured by a screw have been employed. Only a jeweler's screw driver has been re quired to mount the aids. There is a slot at the top of the liner, permitting easy insertion of the lens. We have stocked frames of varying sizes (44/20 to 48/24) with the liners premounted and ready for use.* After examina tion of the patient and prescription of the lenses, the pre-edged aids are inserted in the frame. Figure 2 shows a frame and preedged lenses ready for mounting (top and center), and below, the lenses, the frame is shown with the lenses mounted.
METHOD
By employing a plastic liner, patients are permitted a choice of frames of various shapes and sizes and the lenses may be kept thinner since the diameters are small. Before this innovation, certain higher power aids necessitated the use of small plastic frames or round metallic frames with a broad bridge that were not cosmetically satisfactory to many patients. The greatest advantage of a frame liner, however, is the ease and speed with which the optical aids may be dispensed. To date, our stock of aids has been limited, but it is possible that a wide variety of aids can be stored, including telescopic devices, bifocal lenses, prismatic aids of various powers for binocular vision, and single vision devices from various commercial suppliers. If there is national interest in such a program, a cen tral agency may stock these devices preedged and distribute them to various commu-
A plastic spectacle frame liner that could be inserted in standardized frames was used as a lens carrier. The round aperture at the center of the present carrier is 32.5 mm. The border of the aperture has been grooved to permit mounting of a properly beveled lens. This method is not new and has been used commercially for temporary cataract specta cles (Vision-Ease Temporary Catarex ser vice) , but I have not found reference to the use of this technique for optical aids for par tially sighted persons. Figure 1 demonstrates the steps for pre paring the plastic liner. A liner blank similar to that shown in the lower part of the picture is mounted in a standard edging machine, using two wafer-like mounting adapters with a shoulder machined to fit into the aperture. The edged liner shown in Figure 1 can be From the Division of Ophthalmology, Depart ment of Surgery, Case Western Reserve Univer sity School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio. Reprints requests to Robert V. Spurney, M.D., 20620 North Park Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio 44118.
COMMENT
* The plastic carrier blank, plastic edger adapters, and instructions for edging and preparing the car rier will be available from the Vision-Ease Corpo ration, 318 14th Avenue North, St. Cloud, Minne sota S6301. 133
134
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
JANUARY, 1973
Fig. 3 (Spurney). A telescopic aid mounted for use.
Fig. 1 (Spurney). A plastic frame liner is pre pared for mounting in a standard frame by edging of a liner blank similar to that shown in the lower part of the picture.
nities as needed. Possibly the aids could be edged locally by the laboratory preparing the liner blanks for mounting in the selected
Fig. 2 (Spurney). Top: Frames with liners in place. Center: Pre-edged lenses ready for mount ing. Bottom: The same frame with the lenses mounted.
frame. Thus, if the aid proved less than opti mal, it could be changed without great diffi culty and the expense of this change would be small because of the standardization of size and the fact that the returned aid could usually be re-used. Figure 3 shows a telescopic aid mounted for use. The telescope may be positioned by rotating the aid in the frame and raising or lowering the frame. Figure 4 shows a binoc ular aid employing base-in prisms. The amount of base-in prism may also be varied by rotation of the lenses in the frames. Bin ocular reading additions as described by Fonda, 4 can be similarly mounted and prop erly centered by rotation of the lenses. The method described may not be the most advantageous possible. However, it demon strates the principle of standardization of sizes permitting interchangeability and flexi bility. There is need for national standard-
Fig. 4 (Spurney). A binocular aid for employing base-in prisms. The amount of base-in prism may be varied by rotation of the lenses.
135
LOW-VISION AIDS
VOL. 75. NO. 1
ization of optical aids to expedite dispensing useful devices to partially sighted patients. The same idea may be applied to other headborne, hand held and stand-mounted aids making them more easily available, especially in higher powers, and reducing costs by pro duction in larger lot sizes.
helping to reduce the cost of optical aids and make them more easily available. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The photography by Mr. G. Wagstaff of the Cleveland Society for the Blind and the technical assistance of Mr. F. Lucas, of Park Opticians, are gratefully acknowledged. REFERENCES
SUMMARY
A plastic spectacle frame liner has been devised that permits standardization of spec tacle-borne optical aids for partially sighted persons. Standardization permits the aids to be used interchangeably in spectacle frames of varying sizes and shapes. The liner is used as a carrier for mounting pre-edged lenses and other prefabricated aids, thus
1. Sloan, L. L., and Jablonski, M. D. : Reading aids for the partially blind : Classification and mea surements of more than 200 devices. Arch. Ophth. 62:465,1959. 2. The Lighthouse Catalogue of Optical Aids. New York, New York Association for the Blind, 3. Sloan, L. L. : Recommended Aids for the Par tially Sighted, 2nd ed. New York, National Society for the Prevention of Blindness, 1971. 4. Fonda, G. : Binocular reading additions for low vision. Arch. Ophth. 83:294, 1970.
O P H T H A L M I C MINIATURE
Now Miach, son of Diancecht, was a better hand at healing than his father and had done many things. At Teamhair, one time, he met a young man having but one eye and the young man said, "If you are a good physician, you will put an eye in the place of the eye I lost." "In its place I could put the eye of that cat in your lap." said Miach. "I would like that well," said the young man. So Miach put the cat's eye in his head ; but afterwards he would as soon have been without it, for when he wanted to sleep and take his rest, it is then the eye would start, at the squeaking of the mice or the flight of the birds or the movement of the rushes; and when he was wanting to watch an army or a gathering, it was then it was sure to be in deep sleep. Lady Gregory
M.D.
Cleveland, Ohio
An obstacle to the more widespread use of optical aids for partially sighted persons is the great variety of such devices needed to provide for the specific needs of each pa tient.1"3 Spectacle-borne aids 1 present an ad ditional problem—if these are prescribed but later found not to be optimal, replacement with a new aid is a considerable expense for the patient. More visually handicapped pa tients would be helped if a simple, flexible method could be found to streamline dis pensing by standardizing sizes of spectacle aids so that they could be used interchange ably in spectacles of varying sizes and shapes. A recent innovation at the Low Vi sion Ginic of the Cleveland Society for the Blind meets some of these requirements.
mounted in a frame using minimal equip ment. To date, frames incorporating an eyewire secured by a screw have been employed. Only a jeweler's screw driver has been re quired to mount the aids. There is a slot at the top of the liner, permitting easy insertion of the lens. We have stocked frames of varying sizes (44/20 to 48/24) with the liners premounted and ready for use.* After examina tion of the patient and prescription of the lenses, the pre-edged aids are inserted in the frame. Figure 2 shows a frame and preedged lenses ready for mounting (top and center), and below, the lenses, the frame is shown with the lenses mounted.
METHOD
By employing a plastic liner, patients are permitted a choice of frames of various shapes and sizes and the lenses may be kept thinner since the diameters are small. Before this innovation, certain higher power aids necessitated the use of small plastic frames or round metallic frames with a broad bridge that were not cosmetically satisfactory to many patients. The greatest advantage of a frame liner, however, is the ease and speed with which the optical aids may be dispensed. To date, our stock of aids has been limited, but it is possible that a wide variety of aids can be stored, including telescopic devices, bifocal lenses, prismatic aids of various powers for binocular vision, and single vision devices from various commercial suppliers. If there is national interest in such a program, a cen tral agency may stock these devices preedged and distribute them to various commu-
A plastic spectacle frame liner that could be inserted in standardized frames was used as a lens carrier. The round aperture at the center of the present carrier is 32.5 mm. The border of the aperture has been grooved to permit mounting of a properly beveled lens. This method is not new and has been used commercially for temporary cataract specta cles (Vision-Ease Temporary Catarex ser vice) , but I have not found reference to the use of this technique for optical aids for par tially sighted persons. Figure 1 demonstrates the steps for pre paring the plastic liner. A liner blank similar to that shown in the lower part of the picture is mounted in a standard edging machine, using two wafer-like mounting adapters with a shoulder machined to fit into the aperture. The edged liner shown in Figure 1 can be From the Division of Ophthalmology, Depart ment of Surgery, Case Western Reserve Univer sity School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio. Reprints requests to Robert V. Spurney, M.D., 20620 North Park Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio 44118.
COMMENT
* The plastic carrier blank, plastic edger adapters, and instructions for edging and preparing the car rier will be available from the Vision-Ease Corpo ration, 318 14th Avenue North, St. Cloud, Minne sota S6301. 133
134
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
JANUARY, 1973
Fig. 3 (Spurney). A telescopic aid mounted for use.
Fig. 1 (Spurney). A plastic frame liner is pre pared for mounting in a standard frame by edging of a liner blank similar to that shown in the lower part of the picture.
nities as needed. Possibly the aids could be edged locally by the laboratory preparing the liner blanks for mounting in the selected
Fig. 2 (Spurney). Top: Frames with liners in place. Center: Pre-edged lenses ready for mount ing. Bottom: The same frame with the lenses mounted.
frame. Thus, if the aid proved less than opti mal, it could be changed without great diffi culty and the expense of this change would be small because of the standardization of size and the fact that the returned aid could usually be re-used. Figure 3 shows a telescopic aid mounted for use. The telescope may be positioned by rotating the aid in the frame and raising or lowering the frame. Figure 4 shows a binoc ular aid employing base-in prisms. The amount of base-in prism may also be varied by rotation of the lenses in the frames. Bin ocular reading additions as described by Fonda, 4 can be similarly mounted and prop erly centered by rotation of the lenses. The method described may not be the most advantageous possible. However, it demon strates the principle of standardization of sizes permitting interchangeability and flexi bility. There is need for national standard-
Fig. 4 (Spurney). A binocular aid for employing base-in prisms. The amount of base-in prism may be varied by rotation of the lenses.
135
LOW-VISION AIDS
VOL. 75. NO. 1
ization of optical aids to expedite dispensing useful devices to partially sighted patients. The same idea may be applied to other headborne, hand held and stand-mounted aids making them more easily available, especially in higher powers, and reducing costs by pro duction in larger lot sizes.
helping to reduce the cost of optical aids and make them more easily available. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The photography by Mr. G. Wagstaff of the Cleveland Society for the Blind and the technical assistance of Mr. F. Lucas, of Park Opticians, are gratefully acknowledged. REFERENCES
SUMMARY
A plastic spectacle frame liner has been devised that permits standardization of spec tacle-borne optical aids for partially sighted persons. Standardization permits the aids to be used interchangeably in spectacle frames of varying sizes and shapes. The liner is used as a carrier for mounting pre-edged lenses and other prefabricated aids, thus
1. Sloan, L. L., and Jablonski, M. D. : Reading aids for the partially blind : Classification and mea surements of more than 200 devices. Arch. Ophth. 62:465,1959. 2. The Lighthouse Catalogue of Optical Aids. New York, New York Association for the Blind, 3. Sloan, L. L. : Recommended Aids for the Par tially Sighted, 2nd ed. New York, National Society for the Prevention of Blindness, 1971. 4. Fonda, G. : Binocular reading additions for low vision. Arch. Ophth. 83:294, 1970.
O P H T H A L M I C MINIATURE
Now Miach, son of Diancecht, was a better hand at healing than his father and had done many things. At Teamhair, one time, he met a young man having but one eye and the young man said, "If you are a good physician, you will put an eye in the place of the eye I lost." "In its place I could put the eye of that cat in your lap." said Miach. "I would like that well," said the young man. So Miach put the cat's eye in his head ; but afterwards he would as soon have been without it, for when he wanted to sleep and take his rest, it is then the eye would start, at the squeaking of the mice or the flight of the birds or the movement of the rushes; and when he was wanting to watch an army or a gathering, it was then it was sure to be in deep sleep. Lady Gregory