Office of External Communications

Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax: 713.743.8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 4, 2004

Contact: Lisa Merkl
713.743.8192 (office)
713.605.1757 (pager)

There’s hope for those whose poor vision prevents them from reading, driving and other taken-for-granted tasks at an open house with free screenings for the public, hosted by the Center for Sight Enhancement (CSE) at the University of Houston College of Optometry Saturday, Nov. 20.

With its mission to help Houstonians with low vision improve daily living, the CSE at UH is an internationally recognized clinical low vision program designed to reduce the disabling impact of vision loss. Providing vision rehabilitation, CSE clinics include the UH location as its main clinical teaching facility, along with a satellite clinic at Baylor College of Medicine in the Texas Medical Center. The CSE gives alternatives to patients who face the challenges of maintaining an independent lifestyle and performing everyday tasks.

Even with glasses, contact lenses, medicine or surgery, people who have low vision find everyday activities difficult to do.
Due to vision loss, about one in 20 Americans find it challenging to read the mail, shop, cook, watch television or write, cites the National Eye Institute. Many people have low vision due to age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy.

“Research shows that nothing is more devastating and life changing than the loss of vision,” said Randy Jose, associate professor at the UH College of Optometry and CSE director. “Our capabilities to do things as simple as reading or taking care of ourselves are all controlled by how well we see.”

The open house, called “Journey to Better Vision,” will help answer such questions as what it takes to begin reading or driving again and how the CSE can improve daily living. A tour will feature the center, and four optional 45-minute lectures on topics such as driving and independent living also will be presented. Some will be featured in Spanish, and CSE clinical staff will provide free low vision screenings to help visitors determine if they are good candidates for low vision services.

In a tour of the Houston Delta Gamma Foundation Low Vision and Independent Living Service, visitors will participate in a demonstration of aids and the latest technology that make daily tasks easier. For more than 30 years, the Houston Delta Gamma Foundation has supported programs for the blind and visually impaired, raising nearly $2 million over the years.

For more information, the public can contact 713-743-0799.

For more information about the UH Center for Sight Enhancement, visit www.uei.uh.edu/LowVision/LowVision.shtml

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For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.