The New England Eye Low Vision Clinic at Perkins offers excellence in clinical eye care, support and training for optimal use of functional vision within a caring, compassionate environment focused on each patient’s individual needs.
The New England Eye Low Vision Clinic is one of the region’s few facilities that serves patients of all ages with multiple disabilities. Our experts are available to suggest and develop solutions for people with low vision who want to improve their daily living, education and employment.
The New England Eye Low Vision Clinic is a collaboration of professionals from Perkins, The New England Eye Institute and The New England College of Optometry. The clinic provides primary and consultative eye care for infants, children and adults who have visual, physical and/or cognitive disabilities. Our experienced staff includes a certified low vision therapist, orientation and mobility specialist, visual fields specialist and pediatric optometrist, who consider the educational and functional needs of the patient.
Along with comprehensive, complete eye exams, we also consult on choosing appropriate low vision devices, such as hand-held magnifiers and the latest electronic magnification systems, as well as designing practical alternatives for functioning with vision loss (e.g. lighting). We also provide narrative eye reports containing recommendations for parents, caregivers, doctors and teachers for every patient.
We’re committed to providing the most comfortable experience possible during your visit including physically accessible rooms. We look forward to serving you soon!
We offer an extensive range of primary and consultative eye care services for infants, children and adults who have visual, physical and/or cognitive disabilities.
This exam is similar to a regular eye exam. It includes a review of medical/education/rehabilitation history, determines the need for spectacles, evaluates use of binocular vision and evaluates external and internal eye health (may include dilating drops). This exam is often needed when people have multiple impairments or communication/behavioral issues that make it difficult to receive a complete eye exam.
This exam determines how a person uses their vision functionally throughout the day. It includes many components of a “Modified” Comprehensive Eye Exam, but also looks at the need for optical/non-optical low vision devices and makes general recommendations for school and home. This exam can provide more information about a patient’s functional use of vision.
This highly specialized exam seeks to measure an individual’s peripheral visual fields (the area in which a person can see objects simultaneously) using a variety of instruments and techniques. A Visual Field Examination requires a comprehensive eye exam by an eye doctor within the last year.
Our hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The clinic is closed on Fridays.
Contact the clinic by phone at 617-972-7296 or by email.
Dr. Nicole Ross Optometrist, NECO Center for the Eye & Perkins Low Vision Clinic“Our goal is always to improve a person’s functional ability, customized to each individual’s needs. The eye is a fragile organ. But we always say, there is always something we can do. We can help make the world adaptable. It is so important for people with low vision to have partners and resources.”
Compiled by D. Luisa Mayer, Ph.D.
Learn how we assess possible visual field loss for pre-verbal infants.
Get the facts on visual field loss in toddlers and older children.
Resources, tips and information for incorporating a culture of disability inclusion and inclusive learning in all classrooms
Our team of specialists can provide a wide range of eye care services, including:
Because we use a collaborative approach to the exam and are a teaching clinic for the New England Eye Institute, you will meet several professionals during your visit. We encourage any or all of the patient’s education or rehabilitation team to attend an examination. This may include parents, classroom teachers, teachers of the visually impaired, orientation and mobility specialists or other special service providers. When you arrive, you will be greeted by our administrative assistant or clinic coordinator.
Download the Preparing for your appointment checklist and authorization form.
If this is your first time to our clinic, we will need copies of all previous eye exams, as well as any other educational/medical evaluations that have been conducted, such as:
We can bill most medical insurance plans. However, we do not provide a “routine” eye exam. Therefore, you must request a referral from your child’s pediatrician or primary care physician (PCP). Check with your insurance company—if our service is not covered by your medical insurance, we will require payment at the time of your appointment. The cost of an annual exam is $185, and $85 for each follow-up appointment within the year.
Sometimes, school systems will pay for the exam. If this is the case, we must have a letter from the school with the payment amount and billing information.
No. Our specialty is working with individuals of all ages with vision loss and multiple impairments. However, we can provide exams for people of all ages with or without a visual impairment.
Yes, as long as you have a doctor’s recommendation or prescription. We don’t have a store, but we can help you order a specific device and have it sent directly to your home.
Usually, we allow 1-½ hours for a full examination, but it doesn’t always take this long. It is important to have plenty of time for people to become comfortable in a new place, and for families and teachers to ask plenty of questions.
Get in touch to learn more about the Low Vision Clinic at Perkins School for the Blind.
