Located in Novi, MI
What to Expect at Your Visit
A low vision evaluation at Beyond Low Vision starts with a conversation about your day, not a machine. Here is what happens in the room, what to bring with you, and what you go home with.
A Low Vision Visit Is a Conversation First
You will not be handed a chart and walked through a series of tests. A low vision evaluation opens with a conversation in a quiet room, and the first question is not about your prescription.
It is about you: what do you want to do again? Reading the mail piling up on the counter. Following a recipe. Recognizing a face across the room. Seeing the numbers on a bill, a text on a phone, or the road ahead at dusk. Bring those answers with you, because they set the direction for everything that follows.
Dr. John P. Jacobi, OD, FOVDR, FIALVS, leads low vision care here. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Low Vision Specialists and has more than 36 years of clinical experience, and he spends the visit talking with you about how you live, not only about how you see. You can meet Dr. Jacobi before you come in.
What to Bring to Your Evaluation
A short list makes the visit more useful. If you forget something, come anyway.
- Your current glasses, including the reading pairs you keep in different rooms.
- A list of your medications.
- Your eye history: diagnoses, surgeries, dates, and any notes or reports from your retina specialist or ophthalmologist. Field test results and imaging reports are especially helpful.
- One or two things you actually struggle with, such as a book, a piece of mail, a bill, a phone, or a recipe card.
Real Materials Give Real Answers
Those everyday items are not props. Trying magnification on the mail you cannot read, or on your own phone, tells us more than any chart can. We also keep books, forms, and materials in the office, so there is always something to work with.
How the Evaluation Unfolds
Every visit is shaped by the person in the chair, so the order can shift. These are the parts you can expect from a low vision evaluation.
Goals and Daily Tasks First
We talk through the tasks you listed, along with distances, lighting, and how much time you spend on each one. This is where we learn what a good outcome would look like for you.
Vision and Refraction Testing
We measure how you see now and check whether a different prescription would help. Sometimes new glasses are part of the answer and sometimes they are not. Either way, you will know.
How Your Eyes Work Together
Dr. Jacobi also looks at binocular vision, the way your two eyes work as a pair. Strain, double vision, or a habit of closing one eye can change which tools will feel comfortable for you.
Magnification Trials With Your Items
You try magnifiers, reading telescopes, and other aids on the materials you brought. We adjust strength, working distance, and technique until something works in your hands, not just on paper.
Lighting and Glare Assessment
Glare and dim light change the whole picture. We test task lighting, filters, and contrast so you know what to adjust at home, whether that is a lamp, a filter, or where you sit in a room.
Field Loss Where It Matters
If part of your visual field is missing, we talk about where it sits and how to work around it: how you position reading material, scan a room, or rely on the vision you have most consistently.
Trying Devices Is Part of the Visit
Nothing is decided after you leave. Devices come into the room during the evaluation so you can hold them, wear them, and find out whether they help with the task you came in for.
A magnifier that looks impressive on a counter can be the wrong strength for your reading distance. A wearable telescope can be excellent for spotting a face at church and useless for reading a bill. You only know by trying, and trying is what the appointment is for.
You can see the kinds of equipment we work with on our low vision aids page before you come in.
Bring a Family Member or Caregiver
You are welcome to bring a spouse, adult child, friend, or caregiver. Most patients do, and it usually helps.
A second set of ears catches details you may be tired of hearing by the end of the appointment. A family member can also describe what they see at home: the mail left unopened, the television volume creeping up, the pause at a curb. If a device works better with someone's help, that person can practice with you in the room.
Our office is at 26850 Providence Parkway in Novi. Directions, parking, and hours are on our hours and location page.
Time, and What You Take Home
Plan for a Longer Appointment
Set aside more time than you would for a routine eye exam. A low vision evaluation includes conversation, testing, and hands-on trials with devices, and we do not rush that. For the specifics on scheduling and how long to plan for, call or text us at (248) 731-9393 and we will tell you what to set aside.
What You Leave With
You leave with a clear plan, a short list of tools you have already tried and how they worked, practical changes you can make at home right away, and a follow-up path. If a device needs ordering or training, you will know what comes next and who to call. If the answer is to wait, you will hear that plainly and know why.
How This Differs From Other Eye Care
Compared With a Routine Eye Exam
A routine exam checks eye health and updates your prescription. It answers the question "how are your eyes?" This visit answers a different one: "how do you keep doing the things you need to do?" An exam may still be part of your care here, it just is not the whole appointment.
Compared With Your Retina Specialist
Your retina specialist or ophthalmologist treats the disease itself. Our work begins with the vision you have now and how to use it. The two kinds of care run side by side, and we are glad to coordinate with the doctor who knows your eyes best.
Low vision care adds to your medical eye care. It does not replace it, and you should keep the appointments your eye doctor sets.
What About the Cost?
Every plan and every evaluation is different, and we would rather give you real numbers than guesses. A low vision evaluation involves time and equipment that routine vision coverage often does not address, so it is worth asking questions before you come in.
Our payment policy explains how we handle payment, insurance, and billing at Beyond Low Vision. If you are unsure what your plan covers, call or text us at (248) 731-9393 and we will walk through it with you before you schedule.
Questions Patients Ask First
That depends on your plan and on how the visit is billed, so we cannot promise coverage in advance. Call or text us at (248) 731-9393 and we will talk through your situation and point you to our payment policy.
Plan for a longer appointment than a routine eye exam. The exact length depends on what we are working on, so call or text us and we will tell you what to set aside for your visit.
Yes, if you can. A family member or caregiver is welcome and often useful. They hear details you may miss, describe what they notice at home, and can practice with a device alongside you.
That is one of the most common reasons people call us. A low vision evaluation looks at what your remaining vision can still do with the right tools, lighting, and technique. We will be honest with you about what is realistic for your eyes.
Trying devices is part of the visit rather than something decided afterward. You will try what might help before anything is ordered, and you will have time to talk through what fits your routine.
A prescription check can be part of the visit, but it is a small part. Most of the time goes to your goals, magnification trials with your own materials, lighting and glare, and how your eyes work together.
Start With a Free Phone Consultation
The first step costs nothing. You and Dr. Jacobi talk on the phone about what has become hard, what you want to do again, and whether an in-office evaluation makes sense for you. If our care is not the right fit, he will say so and help point you in a better direction.
Call or text (248) 731-9393, or request a consultation online. Beyond Low Vision sees patients from Novi and the surrounding communities.
Related Low Vision Care
Curious what happens after the evaluation? Browse the low vision aids we work with, read about our low vision services, and check the hours and location page for directions.