Usually eye exams are short and sweet when needed to be. Such as "Do you see this better this way.........................or this way". Get an optometrist who is patient with him. He should have eye exam done for glaucoma and macular degeneration, and that doesn't really require questions being asked. So yes, eye exam every year.
If he can't answer any questions at all, getting him to an optometrist is a waste of time and money. Why not buy him readers in all strengths to determine if he's able to see better with any of the magnifications available? If his dementia/ALZ is THAT progressed, I'm wondering if he's just saying he 'can't see'? Is it up close he has trouble with, or distance vision? If it's distance, I have no idea HOW you can fix this issue; you may not be able to.
It's been a couple of years since I've been able to get my mother to the eye doctor; she has dementia & is wheelchair bound, plus she has A LOT of trouble answering questions. So I'm leaving her alone with the glasses she DOES have and hoping for the best. Some things just are no longer fixable once they reach a certain point in their disease process. She's stopped reading books & magazines about a year ago, so one pair of glasses she doesn't even use anymore.
if they can take the time they can do a fair job. When you call to schedule an appointment ask for the first appointment of the day, explain the person you are bringing in has dementia and you need someone that is patient and willing to take some extra time. Now it is possible that he can see alright he just can no longer process the information that his eyes are seeing. No amount of time spent or change of prescription will help that. This is one of the difficult things that comes when “we” have to make decisions for someone that no longer can.
My husband after having a massive stroke many years ago, lost his ability to speak well, and his comprehension suffered. So when he needed glasses, thankfully I was able to find a very patient and kind optometrist who figured out a way to help my husband. Instead of putting up the rows of different letters for him to try and read and say(which my husband couldn't at all do), the optometrist used a chart that had all E's on it , going in all different directions, from sideways, upside down etc. He would then ask my husband in which direction the E's were going and my husband would show him by pointing with his hand the direction he thought they were going. That worked great for my husband, and he never had a problem with his glasses. Good luck.
MJ1929 raises an interesting point, the possibility that there is more going on than the simple need for a new prescription. Long story - Years ago my grandmother lost much of her sight due to macular degeneration, when she did the rounds of several optometrists, ophthalmologists and the like seeking help all she got was a dismissive "we can't help you", in fact the last one was rather rude about it. The thing is that in those paternalistic times no one ever told what her problem was, I never even heard the words macular degeneration until my own mother was diagnosed and I was angry to discover a very good book about it at a local library that was written in the 1960's and could have given my very intelligent grandmother the answers she needed. My point being that your eye doctor may not be giving you the answers you need but should be able to point you toward someone who can, as has been mentioned there are indeed specialists who provide glasses for very young and those with cognitive challenges, and there are also specialists who work with people who have other reasons that their eyes are not functioning properly.
I would take him to an Ophthalmologist, an eye doctor. When my nephew at 8 months was fitted for glasses, I asked the doctor how they could fit a baby with glasses. I had worn them since 6. He said its the way the light refracts off the eye.
Dementia does effect the eyes. My mother lost her peripheral vision in her left eye. Tests were done and no stroke found. So, no matter what strength glasses he gets, he still may not see well. Its a brain thing.
Even the Eye doctor may not be able to help but DH will get a much thorough exam.
It's been a couple of years since I've been able to get my mother to the eye doctor; she has dementia & is wheelchair bound, plus she has A LOT of trouble answering questions. So I'm leaving her alone with the glasses she DOES have and hoping for the best. Some things just are no longer fixable once they reach a certain point in their disease process. She's stopped reading books & magazines about a year ago, so one pair of glasses she doesn't even use anymore.
Good luck!
Now it is possible that he can see alright he just can no longer process the information that his eyes are seeing. No amount of time spent or change of prescription will help that.
This is one of the difficult things that comes when “we” have to make decisions for someone that no longer can.
That the doctor can't do that tells me something else is going on. Macular degeneration? Detached retina? Glaucoma? Brain not processing what he sees?
I'm betting on the last one because there are tests for all the others.
Long story - Years ago my grandmother lost much of her sight due to macular degeneration, when she did the rounds of several optometrists, ophthalmologists and the like seeking help all she got was a dismissive "we can't help you", in fact the last one was rather rude about it. The thing is that in those paternalistic times no one ever told what her problem was, I never even heard the words macular degeneration until my own mother was diagnosed and I was angry to discover a very good book about it at a local library that was written in the 1960's and could have given my very intelligent grandmother the answers she needed.
My point being that your eye doctor may not be giving you the answers you need but should be able to point you toward someone who can, as has been mentioned there are indeed specialists who provide glasses for very young and those with cognitive challenges, and there are also specialists who work with people who have other reasons that their eyes are not functioning properly.
Dementia does effect the eyes. My mother lost her peripheral vision in her left eye. Tests were done and no stroke found. So, no matter what strength glasses he gets, he still may not see well. Its a brain thing.
Even the Eye doctor may not be able to help but DH will get a much thorough exam.