June 2015
Volume 56, Issue 7
Free
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   June 2015
The importance of public awareness of low vision rehabilitation and the unique visual rehabilitation need pattern of small city low vision patients in China
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Xiaoman Li
    School of Opthometry and ophthalmology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
  • Jie Chen
    School of Opthometry and ophthalmology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
  • Fan Lv
    School of Opthometry and ophthalmology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships Xiaoman Li, None; Jie Chen, None; Fan Lv, None
  • Footnotes
    Support None
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science June 2015, Vol.56, 503. doi:
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      Xiaoman Li, Jie Chen, Fan Lv; The importance of public awareness of low vision rehabilitation and the unique visual rehabilitation need pattern of small city low vision patients in China. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2015;56(7 ):503.

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      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

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Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the visual rehabilitation need of Chinese low vision patients and the potential reasons of visual rehabilitation refusals in low vision clinic.

Methods: The study was a retrospective study conducted in The Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, in Wenzhou, a middle size cities in China. Six hundred and nineteen subjects (58.9%) were drawn from the low vision clinic of the Eye Hospital from July 2013 to July 2014, with the exclusion of low vision screening and follow up patients. A complete electrical medical record include visual functions, a brief interview of medical history, and visual rehabilitation needs. Data of the percentage of visual impairment, visual rehabilitation goals, and their achievements and cost effectiveness were analyzed.

Results: Results: The age of the study subjects were 46.3±23.8 years old (mean±std) and<br /> 64% (393) of them were greater than or equal to 40 years old. Fifty-two percent of<br /> them were males. The percentage of middle to severe visual impairments before and<br /> after correction were 67.6% and 48.1%, respectively. Of patients who need low vision aids, optical aids were an dominant choice regardless of gender and age. The refusal percentage of low vision aids in patients younger than 40 years old were 53.3%(116 patient) while in the older patients were only 11.4% patients (41 patients). The first concern of low vision aids refusal was that they have the thinking that surgeries, medicines or regular glasses would help ( 87% ) all though rehab doctors had explain the possibility to them. Other reasons included cosmetics, inconvenience, simply didn’t believe low vision aids would help and costs. The most dominant visual rehabilitation need of this study subjects both at near and distance were to improve visual acuity for hobbies and social activities (68.9% at near and 50.6% at distance). The second and third dominant rehab goals for near vision was to improve reading and writing, respectively. The second dominant rehab goal for distance vision was to Engage in occupation.

Conclusions: The publicity of effectiveness of visual rehabilitation is very important for low vision patients in small cities in China, like Wenzhou. And the rehabilitation needs of engage in hobbies and social activities were dominant than other daily visual activities.

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