PAT IE N T C A R E
Understanding and Help
COVID-19 Physical Distancing Challenges for People with Vision Loss. Long lines curving around buildings, markers every six feet, one-way arrows painted on floors. These and other safety steps have become part of everyday life during the COVID-19 pandemic. While intended to keep us safe, such measures are designed for people who can see them. Darran Zenger, MSW, is not one of those people. Zenger has Usher syndrome and describes his vision as “like looking through two straws, each smeared with Vaseline on the end.”
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He expertly navigates the world with the help of a white cane and his guide dog, Lou. He cooks, uses a smartphone, takes public transportation, and considers himself adaptable to just about any situation. But physical distancing has presented challenges never imagined by Zenger and others with visual impairments that cannot be corrected with standard eyeglasses, contact lenses, medication, or surgery. “Social distancing obviously presents a radically different world for people with visual impairments,” explains Lisa Ord, PhD, LCSW, director of the Moran Eye Center Patient Support Program. “Heightened tensions brought on by fear of the coronavirus make it more important than ever to be aware not everyone can see physical barriers or read signs,” Ord says. “And public spaces with blocked-off chairs are confusing to guide dogs who may be getting mixed signals—their owners might say one thing, but the barrier prevents the guide dog from moving.”
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