Seeing Through Simple Solutions

Seeing Through Simple Solutions

Baton Rouge resident Katherine Baron was well into her 80s before she began having vision issues. Macular degeneration left her with only peripheral vision in her right eye, and as glaucoma took over her left eye, she no longer had depth perception. Deciphering the curb from the street and one stair step from another became impossible, and she knew she needed help adjusting her lifestyle to accommodate her vision deficits. Her ophthalmologist recommended she seek help through Lighthouse Louisiana. From then on, Baron’s outlook changed for the better.
“I am very grateful for the help,” said Baron, who worked with occupational therapist Carmen McLain, Low Vision Occupational Therapist, both at Lighthouse’s Baton Rouge Service Center and within her home to implement simple but effective changes that allowed her more functionality. “I learned so many things from her.”
Baron learned tricks to color contrast, like placing her white pills on a blue background to see them better, and swapping her white cutting board to a black one to increase the contrast of what she is cutting. She switched her white coffee cups to red ones and added a small device on the side of her cup that clicked when the liquid reached the top as she poured. Baron uses her “magic glasses” to read her Bingo cards, a flat folding mirror helps her see the food she is eating, and a gooseneck lamp and 1600 lumen light bulbs illuminate her home environment.
No longer living in the dark, Baron is always eager to shed light on the transformation Lighthouse Louisiana has provided for her and the resources available for others.
“Simple adjustments and so many inexpensive aids have made such a huge difference in my life,” said Baron. “I’ve told so many people about these things and what a wonderful resource Lighthouse is for people like me.”