By: Seth Johnson

In late February, an IU School of Optometry Low Vision Clinic opened at Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI) to specifically serve the school’s students. The Indiana Blind Children’s Foundation is proud to have helped build a bridge between Indiana School of Optometry and ISBVI to make this clinic possible. In 2024, IBCF will support this partnership by raising funds at the 2024 Through the Looking Glass Gala for the low vision assistive devices recommended to students through this clinic.

Since opening its doors, the clinic has already provided several ISBVI students with the equipment they need to succeed in daily life. Currently enrolled in the tenth grade at ISBVI, Andrea was equipped with a monocular, which has helped with seeing signs while out and about.

“When I’m far away from something, I can zoom in and see what’s going on,” Andrea says.

Like Andrea, ISBVI student Cooper was equipped with a monocular via the clinic, as well as a pair of prismatic glasses. When asked about his experience at the clinic, Cooper says Dr. Emily Hable and Dr. Elli Kollbaum were very helpful.

“It was easy to explain the vision problems that I have,” Cooper says. “Sometimes, at the regular eye doctor, they’ll have this paper on a wall with letters that measures your vision, and it can be hard to explain how I can’t see that. But when I went to these doctors, there was a big difference, and they understood me more.”

Stay tuned to the IBCF blog for more updates on the IU School of Optometry Low Vision Clinic and its impact on ISBVI students.