Disability Awareness

Sights and sounds of wintertime in N.W. Ohio

by Michael Yatsko

Sure it gets mighty cold in N.W. Ohio in the winter, and sure, I enjoy winter a little less each year as I get older, but it can be visually stunning none the less. Glistening snow under a full Hunter’s Moon. Oak boughs arching under the weight of freshly fallen snow transforming our beautiful Metroparks into picture postcards of a winter wonderland!

Noticed changes

Not long ago I began to notice that my vision seemed strained. My eys were tired by the end of the day and as for the “fine print”; forget it! I’ve worn glasses for most of my life yet I hadn’t had an eye exam in more than two years. My current pair of glasses, now nearly five years old are scratched and nearly opaque. We perceive our surroundings through our senses. Our senses enable us to survive and thrive in our physical world. The solution to my problem was obvious…visit an eye doctor, have an exam and order a new pair of specs.

Vision assistance

We have a very strong desire to survive. If one of our senses lets us down, we usually find a way to compensate. We are also, by and large, social beings. We want to help others in our community, volunteer, or offer advice on topics we know well. Enabling the vision impaired the capacity to read magazines is the mission of The Toledo Society for the blind, founded in 1923 and currently operating as The Sight Center of N.W. Ohio, as a not for profit 501 (C) 3 agency that provides clinical and in home services to residents in N.W. Ohio and S.E. Michigan.

The Sight Center offers a unique blend of programs and services that help people of all ages work, learn, play and live independently with vision impairment. From the Low Vision Clinic to high tech assistive devices, daily living adaptations, home safety enhancements, white cane training and caregiver support.

The Shop at the Sight Center offers a variety of products and devices such as talking watches, clocks and calculators, as well as magnifiers, specialty lighting and kitchen aids.

If you know some one who may benefit, suggest that they contact the Sight Center.

Please Note: The Sight Center offers services for low vision and no vision patients and not “regular” eye exams or eye glasses.

The Sight Center is located at 1002 Garen Lake Parkway, Toledo. For more information, visit sightcentertoledo.org, or call 419.720.3937.