Sarah Yoest, OD: Hi, I'm Sarah Yoest. I'm a low vision optometrist, and I work with the visually impaired.

My role at Ohio State is mostly with adults and people who have had changes in their vision. I also consult at children's hospital and work with children that are born with visual problems.

I help people find out what strategies they can use to resume activities that have become difficult.

Most large cities have a multi-disciplinary rehab center for the blind and visually impaired, so when a patient loses vision, their ophthalmologist can refer them over to the Cleveland Sight Center or the Cincinnati Association for the Blind.
 
Unfortunately, the facility here in Columbus shut down about eight years ago.  I worked there for 25 years and I had the opportunity to work with a lot of other professionals.

So the people who teach white cane, the people who teach you how to safely cook and do your laundry when you no longer can see well. Skills that are not in the traditional medical belly wick that I was exposed to and now can kind of roll into my sessions with my patients.

The first thing I do with my patients is talk about what they're having problems with. The second thing I do is try to assess their understanding of what's happening. 

Many patients struggle with the changes that come with vision and I try to let the patient lead the exam. 

For example, some people are just thrilled that they can say I can't cook anymore, they don't want me to figure out a way that they can cook again, and we leave it at that. 

Another patient, baking may be their favorite thing to do, and trying to figure out that you know the measuring cups and how to see their recipe will really add a lot to their life.

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The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center]