Review Paper: Rehabilitation of Blind People and People With Low Vision in Iran

Abstract

Objectives: The blind and visually disabled people form a predominant group in the disabled society and hence, need greater attention. Most of the rehabilitation therapists, especially occupational therapists, do not focus on this group. Thus, the aim of the study is to shed light on the issue of negligent attitude of rehabilitation therapists, especially occupational therapists, toward blind and visually-impaired people.  Methods:To perform this study, a systematic, evidence-based process (Duffy 2005) was used. Data for the study was gathered from the following sources: Electronic databases: Medline PubMed, CINAHL, OVID Medline, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Cochrane Databases of Systematic Reviews, ProQuest, UpToDate, Web of Science, OT Search, OTDirect, PEDro, SID, Magiran, IRAN MEDEX, MEDLIB, and IRANDOC.  Results: From accessible databases, 112 articles related to blind and people with low vision in Iran were found; of these, only 17 articles have been included in this study.  Discussion: Proper assessment of the visually disabled is required to implement the appropriate intervention technique. Occupational therapists need to pay special attention to the visually disabled people. 

Keywords

• Blindness
• Low vision
• Occupational therapy
• Rehabilitation