Making Vision Assessments more accessible
How do you assess vision when a patient has difficulty speaking or communicating?
Through a multidisciplinary collaboration between the Adler Aphasia Center and the Department of Optometry and Vision Science at Jerusalem Multidisciplinary College (JMC), a communication-adapted model for vision assessment was developed to address the needs of individuals with aphasia and other language and communication difficulties.
The project brings together the expertise of speech-language pathologists and optometrists, alongside the clinical training of Master's-level optometry students. As part of this collaboration, visual communication aids were developed and refined to help patients respond during vision examinations by pointing, matching, or selecting answers, reducing reliance on verbal communication.
The project led to the development of JMC VISTA (VISion Testing for patients with Aphasia), a practical collection of communication aids designed to help eye-care professionals make vision assessments more accessible to individuals with language and communication difficulties.
This initiative reflects JMC's commitment to integrating research, education, clinical practice, and community engagement to promote more accessible and inclusive vision care.
The toolkit will be available for free download in Hebrew and English starting January 2027
