Vision restoration miracles using rehabilitative tools and techniques, among urban poor patients

Objectives: The study aims to observe the benefit of rehabilitative aids and techniques in an urban poor setting, among a wide range of ages, literacy, and occupational groups. Material and Methods: 61 subjects with ages ranging between 7 to 79 years of varying literacy and occupations, attending a visual rehabilitation clinic, with varying degrees of corrected but residual myopia, were enrolled, evaluated, and managed using rehabilitative tools and techniques. 96.6% of the patients were already on spectacles before the rehabilitation. The newer rehabilitative care included giving telescopes of various magnifications, according to the patient’s specific requirement. Each patient was counselled on the proper use of the telescope and given occupational training. Results: The best corrected visual acuity (VA) before the rehabilitation ranged between 6/18 to perception of light. After the rehabilitative management, there was a remarkable improvement in the VA with the shift of patient-group acuity towards better vision. The median vision of 6/60 shifted to 6/12. The patients were overwhelmingly satisfied with the rehabilitation management. 95% gave the maximum score when asked about their satisfaction. Discussion: Visual rehabilitation using telescopes with proper counseling and occupational training is feasible in low-income settings. It is beneficial in restoring VA, which is not optimum despite the use of glasses and other existing corrections. These simple techniques bring about an immense degree of satisfaction and can be explored further in other conditions as well.