Southern Low Vision

23/07/2025

It was a pleasure helping out yet another client in need today in regional Victoria, Australia.

'Ms L' can only see the third row down on the distance vision chart and struggles with 'large print', even with her newest glasses; due to 'Age Related Macular Degeneration'.

Her eye doctor (ophthalmologist) and optometrist continue to monitor her eye health.

I conducted an orthoptic low vision assessment, matching aids to her needs and abilities.

Ms L can now see fine print, read newsprint for short periods of time and see faces a bit more clearly on the television with the recommended and supplied low vision aids.

Ms L already uses 'eccentric viewing' (looking slightly away from an object to see it more completely) due to advanced central vision loss. Should her vision deteriorate further, we can refine this method with orthoptic training.

She will attend the usual follow up with her other eye care professionals in the near future. 👁

Another happy client!

10/07/2025

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National Eye Institute Director Michael F. Chiang, M.D., discusses amblyopia, its causes and why children often need to wear an eye patch to treat it.Links: ...

05/07/2025

Underdeveloped vision (amblyopia) can occur in childhood, being the main contributor to long term vision loss from a young age if uncorrected. Intervention well before the age of 7 can help vision develop for life in the affected eye, when it otherwise generally won't.

This condition may exist in the presence of a turned eye (strabismus) or due to unequal refractive error (the need for very different spectacle lenses for each eye). It may also occur due to visual deprivation (e.g. congenital cataract or other conditions).

Orthoptists treat amblyopia in younger children by recommending regimes of patching the stronger eye so the 'lazy' (or rather: 'more curious') eye works harder.

Prior to the release of the current Disney PIXAR movie: 'Elio', (featuring a boy wearing an eyepatch) Orthoptist: Maddy from Speckles reached out to help use this launch to also spread the word about amblyopia!

Well done Maddy! 👁 Get your children's eyes checked routinely, even if you're not suspecting a problem.

01/07/2025

At the International Orthoptic Association's Global Congress we were spoilt for choice with loads of highly informative and well-researched topics on low vision, neurological disorders, eye conditions and management of eye movement problems.

One highlight in the low vision field was the topic of stroke. Speakers from various parts of the world were in agreement that between 60 and 75% of stroke victims have been shown to have some sort of vision problem or vision impairment, usually related to the stroke itself.

Early vision screening is crucial for better management and offering rehabilitation, so it is great to see evolving frameworks on how this might be encouraged much more. 👁

Well done to all and thanks again for a wonderful IOC!




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20/06/2025

A game changer! 🏉

17/06/2025

This month is Myasthenia Gravis (MG) Awareness Month.

According to Research Orthoptist: Suzann Beaupark, each person who presents with MG will have their own unique combination of signs and symptoms. This often leads to dismissal of symptoms which don't fit expected presentations of a disease.

Eye movement disorders, headache, blurry vision, glare sensitivity and droopy eyelid (ptosis) are possible signs or symptoms but not always in every patient.

More serious systemic issues of this autoimmune neurological disorder may include fatigue, limb weakness or heaviness, painful muscles, difficulty swallowing, smiling or chewing and dizziness or respiratory failure.

Orthoptists are perfectly placed to detect these subtle ocular signs and offer visual rehabilitation.

Raising awareness of this often 'hidden' or misdiagnosed disease is the key to increasing the chances of early detection and intervention. 👁

Here's a link to one of Suzann's latest published journal articles about MG.

https://doi.org/10.17161/rrnmf.v5i3.21137

09/06/2025

🎉 Congratulations to Alyse
at
Sunraysia Eye Therapy
for setting up Mildura-based Orthoptic services for
Low Vision Rehabilitation🔎
and
Ocular Motility Disorders. 👀
Wishing you all the best!
A well needed service! 👁️

▪️Are you or a family member being treated for macular degeneration or retinal disease?

▪️Do you find it difficult to read with your reading glasses on?

▪️Are your eyes just not what they used to be?

We offer low vision assessments, provide advice and can recommend and supply suitable magnification and lighting devices.

Our low vision consultations are comprehensive and allow adequate time for assessment, discussion and equipment demonstration. We understand every patient’s visual needs are different. We ask about your visual goals and provide tailored advice that can help enhance what vision you have and assist with independent living at home and in the community.

We are excited to stock a range of magnifiers and Daylight lighting products which are affordable, portable and easy to use.

No referral is required to see an Orthoptist.

Get in touch today if you want to know more 🔍

www.sunraysiaeyetherapy.com.au

07/06/2025

The website is not so new but still going strong, seven years on. 👁🎉👁

06/06/2025

👁 We've reached the end of Orthoptic Awareness Week and in terms of the
global orthoptic scene...

This year's theme,
(as set by The International Orthoptic Association) is:
"From upside-down and all around".

In many parts of the world, we change the perspective of patients for eye care and can help enhance vision every day.

Early intervention for amblyopia (underdeveloped vision or 'lazy eye') and for squint ('turned eye') can definitely alter a person's perspective and/or potential best visual outcomes for adult life. Seeing 'double' or getting eye strain might mean you have problems related to this.

A problem with any of these six muscles shown here (around each eye), or problems using both eyes together, might just lead you to an orthoptist.

🌏 Orthoptists around the world are involved in this type of allied eye health care.

I'm Julie. I've worked as an orthoptist for many years.
I started in eye clinics and later progressed to low vision work. I am a sole orthoptic trader in the area of low vision rehabilitation, which sometimes also involves addressing these types of binocular vision problems.

I combine this with university-based lecturing in public health, alongside problem-based case learning in vision science.

This is just one place orthoptics can take you.
👁🌏👁








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03/06/2025

I am an Orthoptist
Here's an example of where orthoptics can take you... 👁
👁

Happy Orthoptic Awareness Week, which caps off with World Orthoptic Day this Monday.

Where will Orthoptics take you?

Pictured is Carmel Harris from Low Vision Plus and myself from Southern Low Vision after presenting at Orthoptics Australia's conference a few years ago, in Adelaide.

Sole practice in Low Vision Rehabilitation is just one of many exciting places orthoptists can go.
🔍👁🔎

03/06/2025

In Orthoptic Awareness Week, it is great to share stories about other orthoptists, such as Monica.

Education is a huge part of the low vision journey. Knowing that Macular Disease (for example) comes with sight loss but not complete blindness is comforting to know.

Before any of my clients can accept low vision aids (regardless of their type of eye condition), a period of acceptance must occur. I often find a huge part of my initial assessment is about education.

Thanks to the work of these other educators at MDFA and similar organisations, patients can move forward with new strategies and aids after a diagnosis of an eye condition. 👁

“A woman once called us distraught over her diagnosis. She’d just been told that blindness was inevitable, and she felt completely overwhelmed.”

This is a call Monica, one of our Eye Connect orthoptists, will never forget.

“I explained the stages of macular degeneration, how everyone progresses differently, and that there are lifestyle changes that can help slow down its progression,” Monica recalls. “By the end of the call, she said she felt less alone – and more hopeful. The feeling of knowing that you reduced someone’s burden is extremely fulfilling.”

Monica is an orthoptist who works as a Health Engagement Officer at Macular Disease Foundation Australia. Her day is filled with phone calls, offering reassurance, information, and emotional support to people navigating vision loss from age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

“The best part of my job is helping reduce the fear and stress that comes with vision loss,” she says.

This Orthoptics Awareness Week, we’re celebrating orthoptists like Monica, and the meaningful difference they make in people’s lives.

Orthoptists are allied health professionals who assess and manage eye conditions, support patients, and collaborate with ophthalmologists. But as this story shows, their role goes far beyond “eye tests.”

“I am an orthoptist, and I empower patients through education – helping them understand their diagnosis and take charge of their visual health.”

If you or someone you love is living with AMD, support is available via our free Eye Connect service: https://www.mdfoundation.com.au/support-me/support-services/eyeconnect/