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Columbia, Jewish Guild for Blind team up to improve vision rehab
NEW YORK — A “center of excellence” in low-vision rehabilitation will be established at Columbia University Medical Center as the result of a collaboration between the university and a nonprofit group.
The new center, designed to “improve the quality of clinical vision rehabilitation, advance knowledge of the field and better train practitioners,” is the result of a joint effort between Columbia University and the Jewish Guild for the Blind, according to a press release from the university.
The joint venture will concentrate on research and on enhancing the training of ophthalmologists and other professionals in low-vision rehabilitation, with the aim of increasing access to improved patient care, the release said.
As part of the program, a clinical rotation in low-vision rehabilitation, believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, will be added to resident and fellowship training. The center will also develop a program to provide intensive low-vision training to ophthalmologists interested in refocusing their careers on low-vision care.
Collaborative research will focus on age-related macular degeneration, approached “from a genetic, treatment and psycho-social perspective,” the press release said.