VISION ASSESSMENT Duncan McGregor July 2015

T HREE T YPES OF A SSESSMENT Students who are visually impaired should experience three different types of vision assessment, each of which has its own distinct purpose: Medical eye examination Low vision examination Functional vision assessment

M EDICAL E YE E XAMINATION Who does it? An ophthalmologist (a medical doctor who specializes in the eyes and the visual system) Sometimes, a child has only seen an optometrist. An optometrist is not a medical doctor, and cannot diagnose a child’s visual condition.

M EDICAL E YE E XAMINATION The ophthalmologist can: Diagnose visual condition, i.e., the cause of the child’s visual impairment Treat the condition by surgery or other medical treatment (medication, patching, etc.) Measure visual acuity and visual fields Prescribe corrective lenses, where appropriate

M EDICAL E YE E XAMINATION An optometrist can Screen for certain visual conditions, such as glaucoma and refer to ophthalmologist Measure visual acuity and visual fields Prescribe corrective lenses, where appropriate Prescribe eye exercises

C LINICAL L OW V ISION A SSESSMENT Who does it? An optometrist who specializes in working with people who have low vision Most optometrists do not have this special training CNIB?

C LINICAL L OW V ISION A SSESSMENT A low vision specialist can Prescribe corrective lenses Prescribe low vision devices including: - magnifiers for near-point work - telescopes (monoculars) for distance use Whose role is it to teach students to use these devices at school and in the community? Where does this fit into the ECC?

F UNCTIONAL V ISION A SSESSMENT Who does it? The teacher of students who are visually impaired, a.k.a.: - TVI - vision resource teacher - itinerant teacher - vision itinerant - vision teacher, etc. - US!

F UNCTIONAL V ISION A SSESSMENT A teacher of students who are visually impaired can: Determine how a student who is visually impaired uses his or her vision in real-life activities. Recommend accommodations or adaptations to - the educational environment - educational materials - teaching methods - etc. (examples) Recommend programming in ECC areas Determine eligibility for TVI service