The Cape Girardeau Retinal Surgery Center has established a Low Vision Clinic.

"The new clinic will provide comprehensive rehabilitation services for patients with low vision," said Dr. David J. Westrich of the center.

Dr. Michael J. Katich, a low-vision rehabilitation specialist, has joined the center, which is in Doctors' Park.

"This is a continuing effort to provide full-scope vitreo-retinal eye care and vision rehabilitation service," said Westrich. "I'm pleased that Dr. Katich will be assuming responsibility for the new services."

Katich has completed training at the Eye Victor's Low Vision Clinic at the Kansas City Veterans Administration Hospital and the St. Louis Optometric Center for Low Vision Services.

He is a graduate of the University of Missouri-St. Louis School of Optometry and a member of the Low Vision Section of the American Optometric Association.

Most recently Katich developed the Low Vision Rehabilitation, Sports Vision Training, and Pediatric Vision Therapy Clinics in St. Louis.

Katich indicated that low vision, partial sight, or subnormal vision results from reduced central acuity (straight-ahead sight) used for reading and other fine tasks or from visual field loss, which is the extent of space visible to an eye as it focuses straight ahead.

In low-vision patients, Katich said the best optical correction provided by regular glasses still results in visual impairment from a performance standpoint.

"Generally, acuity of 20/70 or poorer for the better eye constitutes low vision, although other factors such as visual field loss may classify a person as having low vision even though they may have 20/20 acuity," said Katich. "Approximately 75 percent of the legally blind have some residual vision, and it has been estimated that there are six million partially sighted but not legally blind individuals in the U.S."

He said that with the average age of the population rising, and new surgical techniques that help maintain residual vision, the number of people in need of low-vision rehabilitation service will continue to grow.

"I would like to educate low-vision patients that something can usually be done to enhance and improve their remaining vision and, in turn, provide a basis for a more fulfilling and independent lifestyle," said Katich.

He said an individual's vision may be improved through a variety of optical and non-optical devices, including the simplest improved lighting, use of typoscope or bold-print type and hand magnifiers to the more complex compound optical systems or electronic imaging devices, which utilize close-circuit television systems to magnify images."

"In general, what I will be doing is assessing the patient's task-specific needs and applying rehabilitation techniques to meet those needs," Katich said.