FLORENCE MAXWELL LOW VISION CLINIC

How do you know if you need a low vision evaluation?

Do you have difficulty…

  • Seeing faces?

  • Reading newspapers and magazines?

  • Reading bills, mail and medication bottles?

  • Managing your finances?

  • Signing your name?

  • Using your computer?

  • Watching TV?

If you respond yes to any of these, then you are a good candidate for low vision services. The Florence Maxwell Low Vision Clinic can help:

  • A specially trained optometrist will evaluate your usable sight and make recommendations for enhancing your quality of life and independence. Low vision evaluations are provided by Dr. Jon Forché, Dr. Esther Yang, Dr. Kim Vuong, Dr. Jamie Gallagher and Dr. Christopher Lee. Meet our optometrists below.

Dr. Jon Forché graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in Biological Sciences from Miami University. He received his Doctorate in Optometry from The Ohio State University College of Optometry and completed his residency in Low Vision Rehabilitation/Ocular Disease at the Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

In 2012, Dr. Forché was given the Beacon of Hope Award by the Georgia Lions Lighthouse for his work with visually impaired and uninsured patients, and in 2013, he became a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry. In addition to working with the Center for the Visually Impaired, Dr. Forché is a vision rehabilitation consultant with the following organizations: Vision Rehabilitation Services of Northeast Georgia; VISTAS in Athens, Georgia and The Vocational Rehabilitation section of the Georgia Department of Labor.

Dr. Jon Forché is a member of the American Optometric Association and the Georgia Optometric Association and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, an organization dedicated to excellence in eye care. His hobbies include running, skiing, hiking and camping and he spends much of his free time with his young children, Hayden and Adelyn.

Dr. Esther Yang graduated from Emory University with a B.S. in Biology. She received her Doctorate of Optometry from the New England College of Optometry in Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to relocating to Georgia, she worked at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard teaching Hospital in Boston, where she worked with a diverse patient demographic providing care to a wide range of ocular and visual pathology. Additionally, she has experience working with low vision patients from the Boston University Eye Associates and Jamaica Plain Veterans Affairs Hospital, where she tailored management for the visually impaired with the use of low vision assistive devices.

While in Boston, Dr. Yang was awarded the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship where she designed a service project to provide vision screenings for the elderly population in the Southwest Boston area. She was also awarded the Hyman Kamens Award and the Robert Soltes Scholarship.

Dr. Yang is excited to return to the Atlanta area where she calls home. She enjoys running and spending time wither her sons. Pre COVID-19, you could find her jetting off to explore other parts of the world.

Dr. Kim Vuong graduated from the University of California Berkeley School of Optometry in 2011. She completed her residency in low vision and primary care at the Tucson VA Medical Center and went on to complete a fellowship in low vision and optometric research at the Boston VA Medical Center.

In addition to seeing patients at the Center for the Visually Impaired, Dr. Vuong also works at Smyrna Eye Group. She serves on the board of directors for the Valley Center for the Blind in Central California and is a member of the American Optometric Association. Dr. Vuong enjoys spending her free time exploring national parks and going on road trips with her husband, young son and German Shepherd.

Dr. Jamie Gallagher, OD has been with CVI since 2014. She enjoys working with the visually impaired and helping school aged children with vision impairments improve their education through assistive devices and therapy. A 1994 graduate of Southern College of Optometry, Dr. Gallagher also completed residency training through the UAB optometry school and the Tuscaloosa and Birmingham VA Health Centers in low vision and hospital-based optometry. She also worked with the state of Delaware providing low vision services to Delaware residents before moving to Georgia. In 2004, Dr. Gallagher moved to Georgia and became a provider in the Low Vision Department at the Emory Eye Center.

Dr. Gallagher also works with Vision to Learn, a nonprofit organization that provides eye exams and glasses free of charge to children in underserved communities.  She is a mother of four who enjoys spending time with her family, taking walks with her two Weimaraners and traveling.

  • An occupational therapist (OT) with a specialty in low vision will introduce you to lighting and magnification options for reading, writing and performing daily activities that best fit your goals and needs.

  • We will help you learn to use devices and techniques for everyday activities such as meal preparation, financial management and medication organization.

  • We will recommend other CVI services that can help you maintain your independence and continue activities you enjoy.

Our client services team is ready to speak with you – call 404-875-9011 to make an appointment.

We welcome referrals from doctors or other community service providers. You can refer your patient or client to CVI via this online referral form, or if you prefer, download, print, and complete the referral form and fax it to 404-875-4568.

We also provide low vision evaluations for school age children in our Midtown clinic or we can organize a clinic at local area schools. To schedule an onsite school clinic, contact the Outreach Relationship Manager at 404-875-9011.

CVI accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and most Medicare Advantage and private insurance plans in Georgia. We also offer private pay options for services not covered by your insurance.

Financial assistance is available based on income and household size. Click here for more information or call 404-875-9011.

Our Client Services team can now arrange for translation services. This service is available in multiple languages and eliminates a meaningful barrier to receiving low vision care. Clients may request translation services by calling 404-875-9011.

CVI is grateful to Georgia’s Drive For Sight program which supports clinic services in Georgia communities. Georgia drivers may choose to donate one dollar for this program at the time of their initial or renewal application for motor vehicle drivers’ licenses.