Low Vision

With low vision, people find everyday tasks difficult to perform even with regular glasses, contact lenses, medicine, and surgery. The Low Vision Center helps people regain their visual independence with devices that help them drive, read, write, watch television, and enjoy hobbies. The earlier use of low vision aids will help make life more functional.

Causes of Low Vision Include:

Warning Signs of Low Vision Include:

  • Difficulty to recognize faces
  • Difficulty in reading or other near tasks
  • Trouble picking out and matching colors
  • Difficulty reading street and store signs

Types of Low Vision Devices Include:

  • Voice enhanced items such as watches, clocks, and talking glucose meters
  • Large numbered items such as telephones, clocks, and calculators
  • Hand-held magnifiers to look at labels on food items in grocery stores
  • Stand magnifiers with LED lights for reading
  • Closed Captioned TV’s – these electronic reading machines make reading material and pictures larger to see, there are also Portable Closed Captioned TV’s available that are small enough to carry in a purse or bag

How to Schedule a Low Vision Exam

Dr. Karla Bucknall performs low vision exams at the Low Vision Center. She will examine you and prescribe low vision devices that are appropriate. One size does not fit all, so Dr. Bucknall looks at each individual to determine what device will work best for you and then she teaches you how to use the device. Dr. Bucknall can also determine whether or not you might be a candidate for a bioptic telescope which will help with both near and distant vision. She can also refer patients to programs such as Service to the Blind and Visually Impaired (SBVI), Talking Books, and free directory assistance.

Contact Us!

Store hours are by appointment, Monday through Friday. Please call 605-718-2303 or 800-658-3500.  The Low Vision Center is located on the third floor of the Black Hills Regional Eye Institute and the phone numbers are 605-718-2303 or 800-658-3500. If there are items you are looking for that the Low Vision Center does not carry, the Center will do it’s best to try to find it for you. The Low Vision Center also carries a wide variety of Viteyes brand vitamins that The National Eye Institute has proven effective in delaying the progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

For additional information contact Kendall Johnson at the Low Vision Center or visit their website at www.shoplvs.com.