Doctor Helps with Vision Loss

A local doctor suffering from vision loss is working to help others like himself. News 25’s Kendra Turley gives an inside look at his visual journey and why he’s so adamant about helping others.
Dr. Joe Fontenot was a practicing cardiologist until 1988 when he started to develop severe vision loss. “I have central vision loss which means if I look directly at you, I do not see your face. I see your arms, your hands, your body and all around but I do not see centrally.”
His type of vision loss, known as macular degeneration, is one of the most common forms of vision loss in the United States. It was this unforeseen circumstance that inspired him to open the Community Service Vision Rehabilitation Clinic for those dealing with the same struggles. “I learned a lot about ways to adapt to vision loss,” said Dr. Fontenot, “I also learned that most people who develop vision loss did not know what to do.”
Dr. Fontenot operates four CVRC clinics along the Coast that aim to educate people about the many different types of aids and devices available. At the clinic, there are plenty of helpful gadgets to help people with vision loss of any type or degree. One of these gadgets is a liquid level indicator that notifies the person when to stop pouring liquid into a glass. Another one is an electronic magnifying glass. “People who have central vision loss can do much better with this,” said Dr. Fontenot.
Although Dr. Fontenot is now classified as legally blind, he’s not letting that stop him from keeping his eye on what he considers quite a prize. “If you have vision loss, it’s not just a one-time thing, you have to continue to adapt and learn new things and your vision might change.”