Eye Disease

Low vision events coming up

By Mandy Smith | March 4, 2020

RCIL’s Mandy Smith will be hosting the following events: Low vision fair April 7th at the Parsons Public Library from 1:00-3:00pm Low vision independent living classes April 23rd and 30th at the Riley County Senior Center in Manhattan from 1:00pm-3:00pm Low vision fair May 13th at the Marion Senior Center from 12:15pm-2:15pm Please look for more…

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Older Blind Program: iKan-RCIL

By Mandy Smith | March 13, 2019

As I get ready to get in the car for today’s appointments, I thought I would take this rainy morning to remind everyone of iKan-RCIL.  iKan-RCIL is a program for those who are 55 years and older and have a vision loss caused by such conditions as Glaucoma, Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Retinopathy, and many…

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February Low Vision Awareness Month

By Mandy Smith | February 1, 2019

February is Low Vision Awareness month so I’d like to share some knowledge on this topic. 1.) Low vision is a vision loss that makes it difficult to accomplish visual tasks even with the best possible correction, but with the potential for use of available vision, with or without optical or non-optical compensatory visual strategies,…

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Dr. Herder to present on May 24th

By Mandy Smith | May 9, 2017

Q&A with Dr. Herder Flier (PDF file)

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Low Vision Fair: Fort Scott

By Mandy Smith | March 25, 2014

iKan-RCIL will be hosting a low vision fair in Fort Scott on April 2nd.  The fair will consist of Dr. Mitchell and Dr. Foulk speaking about eye health, diseases and conditions along with Audio Reader, Talking Books, Assistive Technology for Kansans (ATK), and iKan-RCIL speaking about their program and services.  Assistive technology equipment will be available for hands-on demonstrations.…

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Low Vision Support Groups: Wamego & Council Grove

By Mandy Smith | January 17, 2014

Low vision support group –  a group of people who have some type of vision loss that gather and talk about strategies, stories, equipment, etc.  A support group can be very beneficial especially if a person has a new vision loss or is having a hard time handling their new way of life. iKan-RCIL will…

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New Website Offers Information and Support for Adults with Vision Loss

By Mandy Smith | July 23, 2012

From AFB eNews Are you or a family member having difficulty seeing? Or perhaps been diagnosed with an eye condition such as macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy? If the answer is yes, you’re not alone: vision problems affect 25 million Americans, and that number is on the rise. To support this growing community,…

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Low Vision Awareness Month

By Mandy Smith | February 16, 2012

Last month I posted about January being Glaucoma Awareness month.  Well, February is Low Vision Awareness month so I’d like to share some knowledge on this topic. 1.)  Low vision is a vision loss that makes it difficult to accomplish visual tasks even with the best possible correction, but with the potential for use of…

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Happy Glaucoma Awareness Month

By Mandy Smith | January 2, 2012

With January and the new year here, this is a perfect time to talk about glaucoma.  January is National Glaucoma Awareness month so now is the time to book your annual eye appointment. Glaucoma is the name of a group of diseases that commonly increases internal eye pressure, damages the optic nerve and causes peripheral…

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Low Vision Fair Coming Soon!

By Mandy Smith | September 16, 2011

Do you have questions about low vision? Have you noticed you don’t see like you used to? Have you been diagnosed with low vision and want to see what’s out there to help? Come to our low vision fair to hear Dr. David Nelson explain low vision and low vision exams, find out what assistive…

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“Doggone” Cataracts

By Mandy Smith | April 13, 2011

It’s been said that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but can an old dog see new again? A lady told me her service dog was going in for cataract surgery on Monday! “WOW” was about all I could say! I know that on humans, cataract surgery is one of the most common…

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Disability Spotlight – Glaucoma

By Mandy Smith | October 26, 2010

While you’ve probably heard of glaucoma, you may not know exactly what it is.  Glaucoma is not one disease but rather a group of eye diseases that slowly steals a person’s sight without warning.  The vision loss occurs due to damage to the optic nerve, which is responsible for carrying images from the eye to…

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