Vision Rehabilitation Service Utilization
- According to data collected from the Lighthouse National Survey on
Vision Loss (The Lighthouse Inc., 1995), low vision clinical services,
rehabilitation training in activities of daily living, and recreational
services for persons with vision problems were each used by only 1% of
persons age 45 and older with a self-reported vision problem.
- Furthermore, only 2% of respondents reported using job
placement and/or placement services, and 2% reported to have received
counseling to help adjust emotionally to their vision problem (p. 24).
- Only 6% of respondents who reported some form of vision problem used any type of vision rehabilitation service.
When asked why vision rehabilitation services were not used, a sizeable proportion of respondents reported being unfamiliar with their availability. Specifically, unawareness of each type of service was reported:
- Low vision clinical services (21%)
- Recreational services (19%)
- Rehabilitation training in daily skills (16%)
- Counseling services (12%)
- Job training/placement services (10%)
- Survey findings also revealed that 35% of middle-aged and older adults do not know if there are local public or private agencies in their community that provide vision rehabilitation services.