A free interactive webinar hosted by Eyezone Education, titled “Insights on Low Vision Practice”, discussed about techniques on low vision practice. Eyezone Education’s goal is to conduct a series of webinars and interviews on low vision topics to build awareness around the broad array of information on low vision services, technological advancements, and contemporary approaches.

Vision impairment is a major public health concern, it could severely impact education, social participation, future economic productivity, and the quality of life of people with visual impairment. The prevalence and types of eye disease that lead to visual impairment vary significantly around the world.

Globally, there are also large variations in attitudes towards disability and access to supporting services. In the Middle East as in many other countries around the world, rehabilitation services are often not a priority for health care providers and as a result, persons with visual impairment are not likely to achieve their full potential.

This talk is the first of a series of webinars that will introduce you to the field of low vision, discuss the prevalence and nature of visually impairing disease, outline the effects on visual function and touch on the social and psychological effects it can have, explain how to assess the requirements of a visually impaired patient prior to prescribing and describe some of the optical and non-optical aids used for people with visual impairment.

Presenter: Dr. Ithar Beshtawi Dr. Beshtawi is an Assistant Professor in Optometry and the Head of the Optometry Department, as well as, the optometry and low vision clinic at An-Najah National University, Palestine. She holds an MSc and Ph.D. in Optometry from The University of Manchester, UK. In 2014, she took part in a Tempus winning project with universities and organizations in Europe and the Middle East, “Curriculum and Skill Development in Vision Rehabilitation,” which aimed to improve the quality and quantity of the services for persons with visual impairment by developing university curricula and training resources on vision rehabilitation.

This is in addition to the establishment of a multi-disciplinary network of vision rehabilitation professionals determined to support the development of comprehensive services in the region.

Subsequently, a low vision center was established at An-Najah to be the only center in northern Palestine that provides low vision assessment and rehabilitation services. Dr.Beshtawi has also participated in JUSUR.

Related webinar: Pediatric Low Vision – Evaluating and Managing Vision Loss in Children

Watch an interview session on understanding low vision and visual impairment.

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