Don't lose sight of eye care during Low Vision Awareness Month

This Saturday is Valentine's Day, and what better time to show that you "love your vision" than by getting a comprehensive eye exam to make sure that your eyes are and remain healthy.  After all, many diseases that can cause low vision can be managed if caught early.

The holiday also coincides with Low Vision Awareness Month, which we observe every February.  

In addition to prevention, this month also provides an opportunity for the public to increase its general knowledge about the causes of low vision and where to find help for any family members or friends who cope with it. 

Receiving a low vision diagnosis is difficult and often scary for many patients. What do you do to make those who are newly diagnosed feel at ease and optimistic that they can continue to lead independent lives?

As an optometrist at The Chicago Lighthouse Low Vision Clinic, the oldest of its kind in the Midwest, I listen to our patients’ concerns, making it a point to know them on a personal level and hear how vision loss has impacted their activities at home, work, in retirement and school. Then I offer reassurances that while we might not be able to bring their vision back, we can find ways to help patients deal with their challenges. 

Our clinic's comprehensive services and breadth of assistive technology ensure that we have solutions to offer. In addition, all our eye care providers have completed a low vision residency, ensuring that we have the most knowledgeable low vision care providers. 

If you aren't easily able to access a low vision clinic, online resources can help guide you to  assistive devices and technologies that may help. Mytoolsforliving.com is one such online  resource, that can help you find tools to assist in day-to-day activities if you have low vision. 

Low Vision Awareness Month is also a time for thinking about inclusion. We often take for granted how much of our daily activities rely on good vision.

Reading packages, mail, emails, seeing faces, driving where we need to go. Think of the additional challenges posed by not having enough vision to do these things without adequate accommodations and accessibility.

We need to remember people with low vision when designing packaging, products and other items.

Inclusion of people with any disability is important, and Low Vision Awareness Month is a great  time to remind everyone about the power of inclusivity and accessibility for all, including those  living with low vision.

Kara Crumbliss, chief, clinical services, The Chicago Lighthouse

Name Washington team Jurgensen played for

The Sun-Times recently published an Associated Press obituary for Sonny Jurgensen, a Hall of Fame quarterback who spent 18 seasons in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. However, only once, in a Jurgensen quote, was the Washington team referred to as the Redskins — the actual name of the team he spent 11 seasons with. The AP and Sun-Times are so obsessed with being "woke" and politically correct, the team was continually referred to in the story as "Washington." The team couldn't be referred to as the Commanders since Sonny never played for the Commanders. The team name was changed in 2022. You cannot rewrite history. Please be factual. He played for the Redskins.

Ray Miller, Olympia Fields