Magnifiers and telescopes post-module quiz

Everybody with low vision will benefit from a magnifier or telescope.

You can provide a magnifier or telescope to a person even if they have not seen an eye health professional.

Maria has low vision and wears prescription spectacles. She has difficulty seeing text unless it is very close but would like to read books independently. She has arthritis and can’t use her hands easily. Maria might benefit from a:

Magnifiers can be used to help a person see objects that are far away.

A person may benefit from both a magnifier and a telescope.

Peter has low vision and wears prescription spectacles. He would like extra assistance to be able to read labels on products in the supermarket. He does not have any problem using his hands. Peter might benefit from a:

A handheld telescope should never be used while the person is moving around. It makes objects look closer than they are which can be dangerous.

Selection of a magnifier or telescope depends on the activities a person wants to do, their ability and their preference.

Aya has low vision and needs assistance to see people at a distance. She also finds it difficult to see in bright sunlight. After an assessment, you provide Aya with a handheld telescope, and advise her to wear a peaked sunhat to shade her eyes. However, Aya still finds it difficult to see in bright light. You should:

Sione has low vision and uses prescription spectacles. He would like to be able to read books for work. After an assessment you select a handheld magnifier with Sione and trial a magnification power of 2x, but he still finds it hard to read text. You should:

When finding the correct distance to hold a handheld magnifier to read, you should hold it close to the text and then slowly lift it away from the page towards the eyes, until the point is reached where the text is most clear.

Michel has low vision and uses prescription spectacles. He would like to be able to see the cars going past his house. He does not have any problems with his hands. Michel may benefit from:

When teaching someone how to use a handheld telescope you should:

During a follow up visit Roberto tells you that his dome magnifier is not working well. You should:

Magnifiers and telescopes can generally not be repaired if broken, so a replacement is usually necessary.