Tele-rehabilitation for persons with vision impairment during COVID-19: Experiences and lessons learned

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic imposed challenges to access rehabilitation intervention to individuals with visual impairment, thereby increasing their disability effects. This study explored the viability maintaining the continuum of care through telerehabilitation. METHODS: This study is a retrospective analysis of individuals with vision impairment who underwent telerehabilitation at the center of excellence in eye care at Hyderabad, Telangana, India, between April and September 2020. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework was followed to provide services such as counseling for mental well-being, information and resources, educational interventions, Assistive Technology programs, therapeutic interventions for children with multiple disabilities, access to digital audio books and rehabilitation helpline. A team of professionals involved in the service care. Phone and what’s app calls were used to facilitate the training. The duration and the number of training sessions were individual need-based with an average of 45 minutes per session and 175 training sessions. RESULTS: Three hundred and fifty individuals and their families benefited. The service include early intervention (n = 129), and low vision care (n = 176) inclusive of computer training (n = 53), soft skills (n = 53), digital books (n = 55). Nearly two-thirds of the participants were male (n = 205). CONCLUSION: Evidence from this study suggests telerehabilitation as a successful model of care. A well-planned telerehabilitation approach can expand the scope of reaching the visually impaired from geographically isolated areas where scarcity of service providers and service centers.