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meet the team
Hazel Sacharowitz
OPTOMETRIST
Hazel has over 35 years of experience in the field of low vision including lecturing and training of the Optometry students at the University of Johannesburg. She is well known and respected in her field and has presented at numerous local and international conferences. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and remains passionate about low vision
Alouette Barker
OPTOMETRIST
Alouette completed her B.Optom degree at the University of Johannesburg in 2008. She also obtained a B.Com Industrial Psychology degree from RAU in 1992 before following her passion and qualifying as an optometrist.
She is passionate about people and finds the best part of her work is the ability to improve and make a positive difference in people’s lives
Belinda Leibowitz
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
Belinda is an Occupational Therapist and has worked with Hazel for many years. She has a wealth of experience in training and assisting low vision patients to cope with their visual needs. She has the unique ability to assess the needs of our low vision patients and offer them individualised rehabilitation options to
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
Belinda is an Occupational Therapist and has worked with Hazel for many years. She has a wealth of experience in training and assisting low vision patients to cope with their visual needs. She has the unique ability to assess the needs of our low vision patients and offer them individualised rehabilitation options to enable them to lead more fulfilling and independent lives
About Us
WHY CHOOSE US?
Low vision devices are assistive devices that help you to use your remaining vision more efficiently. These devices may be optical lenses such as magnifiers or telescopes or non-optical options such as reading stands, lamps or large print
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU?
Firstly, you must realize that your lost vision cannot be restored. Low vision care is about rehabilitation, not cure. That means you are going to be taught how to use your areas of remaining vision more efficiently. There are many ways in which we at the Low Vision Centre can assist in improving your eyesight even after your eye specialist has provided the best possible medical and surgical treatment
SEE THE DIFFERENCE
The low vision assessment is different from a regular eye examination and is performed by an optometrist specially trained in low vision.
Prior to the low vision assessment your eyes should be assessed by an
ophthalmologist (eye specialist) to ensure that you have received the best possible medical and / or surgical treatment. A report from your eye specialist is most helpful and should be brought with you to the assessment
Review by Barbara
"There is nothing more we can do for your eye."
Those are words that are very difficult to hear from your ophthalmologist.
After two eye operations to try to repair a macular hole in my left eye, I was eventually told that there was nothing more that could be done surgically.
And somehow, I interpreted those words as "There is nothing more that can be done to help me see."
I struggled with everyday things that most people take for granted. Reading, working on my computer, judging distances, and even cutting out the tiny elements I love using in my Bible journaling.
I started looking for an occupational therapist who could help me cope with these everyday challenges.
It took some searching, but eventually I discovered Low Vision Care Clinic.
An occupational therapist from the clinic returned my call. She gave me a few practical tips over the phone and suggested that I make an appointment with Hazel, who specialises in helping people with impaired vision.
So off I went, driving through peak-hour traffic at an average speed of about 13 km/h! I was nervous, anxious, and honestly didn't know what to expect.
The testing was completely different from anything I had experienced at a normal optometrist.
Then came my session with the occupational therapist.
She said something that completely changed the way I thought about my eyesight:
"Stop saying you can't see with your left eye. You just see differently."
Those words have stayed with me.
And then something amazing happened.
With just THREE things:
LIGHT. CONTRAST. SIZE.
I could see TWO NUMBERS with my left eye!
For the first time in a very long time!
It might sound insignificant to someone with normal eyesight, but to me it was HUGE.
After all the assessments, two pairs of glasses were prescribed. One pair for everyday use and another with occupational lenses specifically designed for my computer work.
And what a difference they have made!
I can now read normal-sized print in my Bible, and even smaller print. I can work more comfortably on my computer. I can cut out those tiny Bible journaling elements again.
But more than that, I am noticing things around me that I haven't seen properly in such a long time.
It feels like a whole new world has opened up.
Yes, the glasses were expensive. Very expensive. But knowing what I know now, they were worth every cent.
And this is why I am sharing my story.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE SITTING AT HOME, BELIEVING THERE IS NO MORE HELP FOR THEM?
How many people have been told that nothing more can be done medically, and have accepted that they simply have to live with their difficulties?
Why aren't more of us being referred to low-vision specialists? Why isn't low-vision rehabilitation something we hear about more often?
I wish I had known about these wonderful people months ago.
Please understand that my macular hole has NOT healed. My eyesight has not miraculously returned to normal.
But I have learned that there is a difference between having impaired vision and not being able to use the vision you still have.
And there are trained people who can help you do exactly that.
If you or someone you love struggles with impaired vision, PLEASE consider consulting a low-vision specialist or an occupational therapist trained in low-vision rehabilitation.
Not everyone will have the same results as I have, but there may be help, tools, techniques and possibilities you haven't even heard about.
And one last thing...
I still believe with all my heart that God can heal my eye, in His perfect time.
But while I wait on Him, I am so grateful that He led me to people who have helped me make the most of the sight I have today.
Sometimes help doesn't arrive in the way we expected.
Sometimes it comes through a different pair of glasses, a different way of looking at things, and someone who reminds you that your life is not over because your vision has changed.
Please share this. You might just give someone with low vision the hope they desperately need.