HOSPITAL STARTS VISION PROGRAM

Charles Cole Memorial Hospital has launched a Vision Independence Program for patients with permanent vision impairments.

Under the direction of Dr. Dan Schott, the program focuses on rehabilitating or teaching patients how to perform daily activities such as reading, watching television, cooking, traveling, sewing, or using the telephone.

Dr. Schott will use new diagnostic tools with specialized equipment.

"We want to improve the patient's quality of life," he emphasized.

Common diseases that cause vision loss include age-related macular degeneration, which is the most common cause of new blindness in people over the age of 65; diabetic retinopathy, the most common cause of new blindness in people under the age of 65; glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, albinism and retinal detachments.

Patients should be referred to the Vision Independence Program so that Dr. Schott can work jointly with the patient's eye doctor. For more information, call 274-6180.