What is VIST?
The Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Visual Impairment Services Team Program (VIST) helps legally blind
veterans and their families adjust to severe vision problems.
Program Objectives:
- Identify eligible veterans
- Inform legally blind veterans of all available health care and rehabilitation services and benefits
- Help veterans cope with vision loss.
What is legal blindness
Legal blindness occurs when a person's best corrected central vision is:
- Less then 20/200 in the better eye
- Visual field is less than 20 degrees in the better eye
- A combination of central vision loss and field loss.
Note: Eight-five percent of legally blind veterans have some useable eyesight.
VIST Services
The most important service offred to legally blind veterans is called the Annual VIST Review. This is a yearly examination
which assesses the legally blind veteran's adjustment, vision, hearing, and health. After this exam, eligible veterans will remain
in contact with the VIST coorinator as needed, and be referred for rehabilitation, follow-up healthcare services, community services,
counseling, and other available benefits.
Blind Rehabilitation
Eligible veterans can participate in the VA Blind Rehabilitation Program. The VA has more than 50 years of experience with adjustment
training for legally blind veterans. Our unique inpatient training is a benefit and is available to any legally blind veteran regardless
of sight level at the Southeastern Blind Rehabilitation Center in Birmingham, Alabama, and the Waco Blind Rehabilitation Center in Waco,
Texas.
Adjustment training helps veterans with issues such as:
- Learning to travel
- Adjust to independent or semi-independent living
- Enhance skills that make the best use of remaining sight
- Enables veterans to help and support each other
Referral to VIST
Any veteran who is legally blind and eligible for VA health care can participate in the VIST program. Referrals may come from the
veteran, family health care professional or other concerned individuals. VA consultations may be made to VIST by any VA employee
through the VIST consult form listed under Primary Care.
The VIST office is located in John L. McClellan - Little Rock in room 1E123 around the corner from the eye clinic and across from MRI.
Contact:
Visual Impairment Service Team Coordinator:
Kara Aaron
(501) 257-5070
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