It was a discouraging, but not surprising, diagnosis for Julian Dean of Santa Barbara. Like many members of his family, he'd been diagnosed with macular degeneration.
"My mother had it, my father had it, my older sister had it," said the 79-year-old Dean. "Both of my parents went basically blind."
He received treatment that slowed the vision loss. But more than a decade after the initial diagnosis, it reached the point where his life was disrupted.
"Because of my low vision challenges, I was no longer visiting with friends; I was driving very, very little. My life started shrinking in a very sad way," said Dean.
He was searching online for information about vision loss when he found something that would change his life: Bioptic glasses.
Optometrist Dr. Andrew Bock, who practices in Santa Barbara, explained how they work.
"Underneath the telescopes is the regular prescription, and how someone would see with just regular glasses. Above the line of sight are telescopes in different magnifications that allow someone to see further away. We also have a second type of glasses. Instead of placing it in what we call the bioptic position, which is above the line of sight, there are larger telescopes that go in the central, straight-ahead position. They work well for watching television and reading."
He added that after people get what's available in medical care for their vision loss, low vision specialists can sometimes help with the specialized glasses.
Bock noted that the telescopic glasses won’t work in every case, and the process can be costly. Bioptic glasses can cost several thousand dollars. One company custom-makes them for surgeons and dentists. But for some people, they can be life-changing.
Julian Dean said his new glasses make driving safer.
"I was getting to a point where I was afraid to drive."
