José Antonio Fuentes Najas is an optometrist and an experienced voice in addressing fragile vision. With a career marked by training and specialized clinical care, he advocates for a close, practical, and multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of patients with moderate to severe visual impairment.
In this interview, he shares some key points that will guide his upcoming workshop on assessment and rehabilitation in low vision, aimed at professionals who wish to enhance their skills in this complex and equally human field.
What unique challenges does managing patients with moderate to severe visual impairment present, and how does this workshop address those challenges?
Generally, a person who is affected by a reduction in their visual capacity within a few months does not feel like they are a low vision patient, or at least someone with fragile vision. Our expertise will consist of knowing how to identify the set of alterations responsible for this condition, which will gradually reduce their abilities to manage in daily life.
The first consultation is the most important because in it we need to define the course of the interview, gather the most important information, decide on referrals, and manage the anxiety that the patient may show, avoiding dramatics and unnecessary advice.
“Our expertise will consist of knowing how to identify the set of alterations responsible for visual loss and avoiding unnecessary dramatics.”
How does the rehabilitation approach taught in this workshop differ from other conventional approaches to managing low vision?
Basically, it is about optimizing some basic resources and improving the use of the instruments in a conventional optometric consultation, to obtain a large part of the clinical information we need with a patient affected by fragile vision.
It is about learning to handle simple tools and procedures in a way that allows us to obtain the maximum number of clinical data and gain the cooperation of these patients in improving their visual and emotional state.
How can this workshop help professionals in optometry and other related fields improve their skills in the assessment and treatment of patients with fragile vision?
Enhancing interdisciplinary communication, depending on the appropriateness of a conscious and agreed-upon referral to other visual health professionals. We must know how to communicate in a multidisciplinary manner, our optometric training, as well as our willingness to serve as a link in the chain of support and follow-up for medical, neurological, technical, or optometric treatment.
The success of managing these individuals and the satisfaction of their goals will often depend on the skill we have in selecting the referral to the appropriate professional.
