In this edition of UPMC Spotlight we're talking about vision problems and how UPMC is helping people with the new UPMC Vision Institute at the Mercy Pavillion in Pittsburgh's Uptown neighborhood.
Watch the video on this page to see the discussion with Dr. Will Smith. He's the director of UPMC's Low Vision, Vision Rehabilitation Services.
What is "Low Vision"? It's any vision loss that can't be corrected with the glasses, contact lenses, or surgery.
Their goal in the Low Vision Service is to help people do the daily things they need to do like reading, writing, cooking, driving, etc.
Why did Dr. Smith get into this field? It's actually very personal for him because of family members who were blind and he wanted to be able to help people.
The clinic on the 4th floor at the new Mercy Pavillion has teams of optometrists, doctors, and occupational therapists who specialize in helping people with vision issues.
Those teams work together to assess the problems and come up with plans to help them.
Another key piece of the new clinic is a life skills apartment.
“It’s a full functioning apartment that we can take patients in and teach them how to cook as a non-sighted individual or partial-sighted individual.” - Dr. Will Smith
There's also a garden with different types of terrain to help people learn to navigate mobility in real-world conditions.
Want to Make an Appointment or Need Patient Information?Contact UPMC at 1-855-219-3881.
The UPMC Vision Institute includes board-certified ophthalmologists, optometrists, residents, and other health care professionals who provide an entire range of eye care services in many specialties and subspecialties.
In addition to our expertise in clinical care and education, we provide cutting-edge research to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat eye disorders and diseases as well as to preserve healthy vision.