56 October 31, 1975
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Sinai Unit Helps Partially Sighted Use Vision Effectively
Partially sighted persons
have available to them at
Sinai Hospital a low vision
clinic, that although it has
been operating since 1961,
few know about it.
Sinai Hospital's low vi-
. sion clinic, headed by an
ophthalmologist, Dr. Morris
J. Mintz, since its inception,
functions as a part of the
Shiffman Clinic Outpatient
Program. It got its start
with a grant from the De-
partment of Health, Educa-
tion and Welfare. through
the Offfte of Vocational
Rehabilitation.
The clinic was estab-
lished:
• To find if it is possible
to improve vision in . . . low
vision patients . . .;
• To improve vision in
these patients so that (a)
they can read; (b) they can
be usefully employed, if pos-
sible; and (c) they can con-
tinue with regular school-
ing; and
• To establish such a
service in the state of Michi-
gan where no such service of
any sort was available.
Today, more than 350 pa-
tients per year visit the low
vision clinic for visual reha-
bilitation. Fees are deter-
mined by ability to pay, and
no one is turned away.
When a patient enters
the low vision clinic, he or
she is treated by a team of
specialists, including an
ophthalmologist, an opto-
metrist, a visual aids
technician, a social case-
worker, an optician, a
teacher of the visually
handicapped and a voca-
tional rehabilitation coun-
selor.
The patient is treated in
the following way:
"The ophthalmologist
gives a complete medical
ophthalmological examina-
tion, looking for possible
medical and surgical treat-
ment that may be indicated;
the optometrist aids with a
complete refraction (an ex-
amination for glasses) and
trial of visual aids and appli-
problems; the optician to
whom the patient is re-
ferred in many instances
contacts the clinic for fur-
ther clarification on aids
that have been prescribed;
vocational rehabilitation
counseling is handled
through state and county
services and the social
worker keeps in close con-
tact with the vocational re-
habilitation center to see
what is being planned for
the patient," according to
Dr. Mintz and his associated
specialists.
The vision rehabilita-
tion team also stated that
the clinic makes the pa-
tient aware that even
though there is hope for
maintaining partial use of
one's sight, there are lim-
its. This means for the pa-
tient that the clinic wants
to help him use whatever
vision he possesses to the
ultimate within his ability.
Many patients find -that
the low vision clinic is a
"second chance" clinic.
DR. MORRIS MINTZ
antes; the technician, when
the aid is decided upon,
helps to teach the patient
how to use it; the social ca-
seworker obtains the social
history of the patient, fol-
lows up on the adjustment
of the patient after he re-
ceives the aid, and handles
liaison with other agencies;
the teacher of the visually
handicapped advises the
patient about his study
Some have not had an eye to reading material.
examination for years, and
"Low vision patients have
have accepted their de- welcomed the availability of
creased vision without ever some of these special visual
thinking they might be able aids. The felt-tipped pen af-
to use what is left more fords a wider stroke and
effectively.
larger script. Giant playing
Dr. Mintz and his asso- cards are commercially ob-
ciates found that having tainable."
such a clinic within the con-
Sinai Hospital's low vi-
fines of a hospital allows for sion clinic also has avail-
professional individuals, in-
able a film, "More Than
cluding interns and resi- Light and Shadow,"
dents, to become familiar which illustrates some of
with the concepts of low vi- the techniques used in a
sion work. As they familiar-
low vision clinic to vis-
ize themselves with the con-
ually rehabilitate the par-
cepts and accept them, they
tially sighted. It also
in turn will refer patients to
shows how residual vision
the clinic.
may be used more effi-
Working in the low vi- ciently in some visual
sion clinic, specialists tasks.
have found that devices
The film may be bor-
other than glasses can rowed by writing the
help the low vision patient. Ophthalmology Depart-
"Adjustable easels are ment, Sinai Hospital, 6767
valuable and are used W. Outer Drive. Detroit
primarily to keep reading 48235.
material erect. High in- • Low vision clinics exist
tensity lamps are a source throughout the U.S., Can-
of relatively cool light ada, Great Britain, Mexico
which can be brought close and Israel.
Priceless Zionist Documents in Israel Archives
The Central Zionist Ar-
At first, the archives
chives, founded in the sum- were designed merely as a
mer of 1919 in Berlin — depository for the old files
which was then the seat of of the World Zionist Or-
the Zionist Executive — are- ganization. In the course
one of the earliest institu- of time, especially after
tions of the World Zionist their transfer to Jerusa-
Organization.
lem, they became the cen-
At the initiative of Theo- tral historical archives not
dor Zlocisti, the first biogra- only of the World_ Zionist
pher of Moses Hess (one of Organization with all of
the forerunners of Social- its affiliated institutions
ism and Zionism), Arthur and organizations, but of
Hantke, who was at the the entire Zionist move-
time a member of the Zion- ment.
ist Executive, asked the
The main function of the
young historian and archiv- Archives is to make as com-
ist Josef G. Herlitz to found plete a collection as possible
and administer the archives of all documentation in
of the World Zionist Organi- writing, in print, photo-
zation in Berlin.
graphs and every other
Having succeeded during form, pertaining to the his
1933-34 in transferring the tory of Zionism in every
collections of the Archives country and to the history
to Jerusalem, Dr. Herlitz of the Jewish community in
continued to serve as their the Land of Israel, from the
director until 1955.
beginnings of the "Return to
Zion" movement in the 19th
Century to this day.
A reading room is at the
disposal of the users of the
Archives' collections, where
they may obtain the neces-
sary material.
In 1970, a total of 12,100
files, 4,600 hooks, 1,450
newspapers, and 11,800 pic-
tures was made available to
researchers.
To meet the require-
ments of researchers and
other users the photo-
graphic laboratory of the
Archives produced during
the same year 5,450 nega-
tive microfilm copies of
pages from documents,
journals and books; and
1,000 negative and positive
reprints of photographs.
In addition, 9,600 Xerox-
copies of documents and
printed material were
made available to the pub-
lic.
No serious study has been
written on the history of
Zionism and the Land of
oLe.
Israel in modern times and
V7
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no substantial film has been
r?-7a-ra.:44,zzz,
made for television here or
TG.C.C.catuny aceded , Zeled
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abroad on these subjects,
.. 1-, 67,-et ■ tc4,2,44./:. ag;d-ef,,nr ce.ec .1e6
without recourse to the col-
6(.6,,2.424,0t,s- ;
lections of the Archives.
The Central Zionist Ar-
chives were started as a
small collection of docu-
ments, and by systematic
~r
dam
7;—
, e./xe ;4;Z4-.The
work _over half a century
have attained their present
7.6--vh‘
position as an important
d"
z
archival institution, which
also serves to make the
Zionist past an influential
factor in shaping the Jewish
Hand-written copy of the Basle program of the First
future in Israel and in the Zionist Congress. Note the word "public" added in pen-
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Basle, signed by Theodor Herzl and Dr. Marcus Ehren-
breis, late Chief Rabbi of Bulgaria and Sweden.
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Membership certificate of the Hovevei Zion in 1895.
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