Spotlight On: Lighthouse Guild

Some things are more than just the sum of their parts. Case in point: the New York City-based Lighthouse Guild .

In 2013, two venerable nonprofits providing services for people with blindness - The Lighthouse, founded in 1905, and The Jewish Guild for the Blind (later Jewish Guild Healthcare), started in 1914 - merged and became Lighthouse Guild . The organization now draws upon the weighty experience of a combined 229 years' worth of serving the blind community.

"Some offerings have evolved, and directions may have changed," says Lighthouse Guild president and CEO, Calvin W. Roberts, MD . "However, the vision is still the same: A world in which no person is limited by their visual capacity."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 7 million Americans have permanent or untreatable vision loss or blindness.

The New York City Department of City Planning estimates almost 200,000 people with vision loss in the Big Apple.

The top causes of vision loss are cataracts , glaucoma , age-related macular degeneration , and diabetic retinopathy .

Each year Lighthouse Guild reaches about 5,000 people of all ages and all walks of life at various stages and with various degrees of vision loss. With such a diverse patient population, it can be a challenge to offer the right mix of services that cover the broadest range of needs.

"Each person's experience with eye conditions is unique, and we recognize that every patient's therapy and support needs are different," says Roberts, an ophthalmologist. "Our staff strives to meet each patient where they are in their journey with vision impairment."

Its Goal

Lighthouse Guild aims to be a one-stop shop for people with vision loss and blindness to get everything they need to manage their lives. The organization wants its clients not just to survive, but to thrive.

"To make that vision a reality, Lighthouse Guild is dedicated to reaching more people with more services every day," says Roberts. "From education to careers, from athletics to art, the possibilities are limitless for people with vision loss to achieve their goals and surpass their dreams."

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Services It Provides

"Lighthouse Guild's programs and services are about caring for the whole patient," says Roberts. Blindness permeates nearly every aspect of the lives of people living with it, so Lighthouse Guild approaches treating its patients from multiple directions. This makes the organization's menu of services comprehensive - staggeringly so.

At its heart, Lighthouse Guild delivers healthcare. On staff you'll find a number of optometrists who specialize in low vision. They're part of an interdisciplinary team offering vision rehabilitation services that help people with blindness and vision loss stay healthy and get occupational therapy, assistive technology training, learn orientation and mobility in a low-vision state, and more. You can also get primary care services.

Lighthouse Guild also offers some tangential but no less important services. The organization recognizes that people with blindness and vision loss have higher rates of anxiety and depression than the general public.

"Lighthouse Guild's Dorothy Strelsin Behavioral Health Clinic operates the only behavioral health center in the United States for people who are visually impaired or at risk for vision loss," says Roberts. Services include individual and group therapy, medication management, and psychiatry.

People with diabetes-related vision loss are a big proportion of Lighthouse Guild's patient base. That's why the organization offers endocrinology services for people with or at risk of diabetes . It even has podiatry, as people with diabetes often have foot problems due to damaged nerves , and people with vision loss sometimes have trouble taking care of their feet.

Technology plays a big role in Lighthouse Guild's treatment protocol.

"Technology is the great equalizer," says Roberts. "The right technology, combined with expert training, can make a huge difference. With Lighthouse Guild's guidance and instruction, our clients can use upgraded computers and smart devices to be productive at home and work and to navigate the world."

Lighthouse Guild patients receive a technology assessment and the opportunity to try out and train with all kinds of assistive technology, such as screen readers, wearable devices, and even AI apps that can recognize faces and describe your environment. Technology training is part of Lighthouse Guild's occupational therapy offering.

For those clients who need daily medical care and are looking for a dose of human contact, the organization operates an adult day healthcare program and facilities. You can go to one to socialize with people who know what you're going through, as well as to get your occupational therapy, vision rehabilitation services, and even exercise classes and lunch.

Other services Lighthouse Guild offers include:

• Academic and career services
• Teen-centric support
• Reading services
• Professional training for healthcare providers
• Transportation

To become a patient, request an appointment online or call 212-769-6300 if you live in the greater New York City area. For those outside the area, look into Lighthouse Guild's Tele-Support network. Lighthouse Guild takes most insurance.

Events

Lighthouse Guild offers a number of events. Some are recurring. The organization has virtual lectures and panels at regular intervals, such as Tele-Support Talks, Tech Talk, Ask the TVI (teach for the visually impaired), and Roberts' podcast On Tech and Vision. Others, such as adaptive sports like blind baseball, tennis, and goalball - a team sport in which a ball containing bells is rolled back and forth across a playing court, per the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes - have participants out and about in New York City.

See the events page for upcoming offerings.

Core Belief

"Lighthouse Guild is dedicated to providing exceptional services that inspire people who are visually impaired to attain their goals," says Roberts. "We are champions for people at risk for or directly affected by vision loss, ensuring they have the resources they need to lead full and independent lives."

Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy . We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

Sources

1. Prevalence Estimates - Vision Loss and Blindness. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. October 31, 2022.
2. Resources. NYC Mayor's Office for People With Disabilities.
3. Vision Loss: A Public Health Problem. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. December 19, 2022.
4. Demmin DL et al. Visual Impairment and Mental Health: Unmet Needs and Treatment Options. Clinical Ophthalmology . December 3, 2020.
5. Goalball. U.S. Association of Blind Athletes.

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