A beautiful sunset. The face of a loved one. A fine piece of art.
Our sight makes it possible for us to appreciate all of these and so much more.
But very poor vision or none at all robs us of those pleasures and the simple scenes so many of us take for granted every day.
In Grosse Pointe Park, one organization has been helping the visually impaired and their families since 1972 – the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology.
Now part of Henry Ford Health, the DIO assists and educates the visually impaired to keep their independence and live satisfying lives in a sighted world.
In addition, the DIO also sponsors international meetings each year that bring together the world’s leading vision-related scientists to discuss advances in the field.
Last October, this included more than 30 speakers from around the world who gave presentations on the most current findings on visual neuro-prosthetic devices to be placed in the eye or brain to restore sight to some of those who are blind. More than 500 of the devices have already been implanted in patients worldwide and research continues.
On a day-to-day level, the DIO offers support groups for those with little or no eyesight. Helped by the Friends of Vision, the DIO manages five separate support groups that meet monthly or twice-a-month at various locations in the metro area to discuss the challenges of living with visual impairment. Besides discussing successes and difficulties, they hear from speakers on a variety of topics and, occasionally, take day trips.
Among the support group’s longtime members are Nino and Marie Pacini of Grosse Pointe Woods, who gradually lost their vision over many years. The couple is often seen, walking on Mack Avenue with their white canes, running errands.
Marie said the DIO’s support groups have been a big help.
“You’re meeting with people in the same situation as you. It can feel kind of lonely but in a room full of other people like you, you can share ideas and laugh about things,” she said.
For Nino, the support groups enable him to help others. “It gives me an avenue to give back to others going through vision loss,” he said.
The couple live independently in their own home, cooking and cleaning and Nino even cuts his own grass. Recently, the couple cooked a pasta dinner for 100 people at a Lions Club fundraiser at a local hall in Harper Woods.
Nino smiled at the thought. “You have to realize it’s very difficult for someone to imagine what it’s like to do everything without sight,” he said. “You have to pay more attention to your hearing, and you have to be more aware of your surroundings.”
Each June, the couple dons white gloves to judge by touch the design of a group of classic cars at the DIO’s annual EyesOn Design car show. Often, they choose the same winning car as the sighted judges.
Nino said one of the advances making life easier for those with low- or no vision has been voice-activated devices like Siri, Alexa, and Google. “This is a byproduct of technology that was not originally designed for us that we can incorporate into our lives,” he said.
Besides the institute’s support groups, the resource center (named for Martha Gorey, a longtime benefactor) houses a wide variety of low-vision aids, from closed-circuit magnifying machines and hand-held magnifiers to large print calendars, talking watches and clocks and other resources.
The organization also provides a variety of educational resources to the visually-impaired and the sighted communities.
The DIO is closely affiliated with the ophthalmic technician training at Henry Ford College in Dearborn and the Henry Ford Health Department of Ophthalmology’s resident training program.
Like all non-profits, the DIO relies on volunteers to help in many areas. In addition to the Friends of Vision, DIO has a volunteer EyesOn Design leadership committee and vehicle selection committee that meet year-round helping staff plan and implement the EyesOn Design events. On Father’s Day, over 200 volunteers are on the field from dawn until the car show closes to ensure the event runs smoothly.
To aid its programs, the DIO recently received a generous $2 million bequest from the foundation of the late Art Van Elslander. “The money will fund a permanent position for studies in eye research,” said Dr. Philip Hessburg, the DIO’s medical director, who started the institute 50 years ago.
“Over these past decades, we are tremendously proud of the achievements that have been made for the blind and visually impaired. And our important and essential work continues,” said Hessburg.
For more information on the DIO, go to henryford.com/services/eye or call 313.824.4710.