How One Optometrist Found Her Calling In Low Vision

For many people, clear sight is something they rarely think about until it changes. For Airshpreet Kaur, a recent graduate of the University of Missouri–St. Louis College of Optometry, helping people regain or preserve that ability has become a lifelong mission. Her journey into low-vision care began with a simple belief: vision is one of the most valuable gifts people have, and its impact reaches far beyond what many realize.

On July 1, Kaur will begin a year-long low vision residency at The Eye Institute of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. But her passion for the field was shaped long before graduation, through experiences with patients whose lives changed dramatically once they could see more clearly.

One patient encounter continues to stand out in Kaur's mind. While completing clinical training, she examined a woman in her 50s who had relied on over-the-counter reading glasses for years. When Kaur demonstrated how much clearer her vision could be with the proper prescription, the patient became emotional.

As a school bus driver, the woman had unknowingly adapted to years of reduced visual clarity. She simply assumed what she was seeing was normal. The experience reinforced a lesson Kaur has witnessed repeatedly throughout her training.

“We forget how much we rely on our vision.”

— Airshpreet Kaur, OD

Moments like these remind eye care professionals that vision correction is not always about improving eyesight by a small margin. Sometimes it is about helping patients experience the world in a way they have not for years.

Kaur always knew she wanted to work in healthcare. Inspired by her mother, a nurse, she spent time around patients from an early age and developed an appreciation for caring for others. Her path into optometry became clear during her undergraduate years at Rutgers University when an optometrist invited her to shadow clinical appointments.

What she observed left a lasting impression. She saw how eye care combines medicine, technology, problem-solving, and patient relationships while delivering immediate improvements in quality of life.

That ability to restore functional vision and independence became the foundation of her professional goals. It also helped shape her interest in serving patients with more complex visual needs.

During her clinical rotations, Kaur discovered a growing passion for low vision rehabilitation. Unlike traditional vision correction, low vision care focuses on helping people adapt to permanent vision loss caused by conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic eye disease, and inherited retinal disorders.

These patients often cannot achieve normal sight through standard glasses or contact lenses alone. Instead, they benefit from specialised devices, environmental modifications, and rehabilitation strategies that help them maintain independence.

As populations age and chronic eye conditions become more common, demand for low-vision specialists continues to increase. Yet relatively few clinicians pursue advanced training in this area, creating a growing need for providers dedicated to helping patients navigate life with reduced vision.

One experience during a rotation at Chicago Lighthouse helped confirm Kaur's career direction. She worked with a patient in her 30s who had hemeralopia, often referred to as daytime blindness. The condition made her extremely sensitive to light and affected many aspects of daily life.

Kaur helped the patient obtain specialised tinted contact lenses designed to improve comfort and visual function. The results were transformative. For the first time, the patient was able to participate more comfortably in everyday activities without relying on multiple pairs of sunglasses.

The impact extended beyond vision itself. Greater visual comfort allowed the patient to engage more fully with the world around her and regain confidence in situations that had previously been challenging. Stories like these highlight why low vision rehabilitation focuses not only on clinical measurements but also on quality of life.

As she begins her residency, Kaur hopes to deepen her expertise in helping patients adapt to vision loss. Her long-term goal is to open a low vision clinic where patients can access specialised care, assistive technology, rehabilitation tools, and connections to community support services.

Whether recommending magnifiers, specialised reading devices, tinted lenses, or environmental adjustments, she believes successful care depends on helping patients understand their condition and become active participants in managing it.

For Kaur, low vision rehabilitation is about much more than preserving sight. It is about helping people continue reading, working, travelling, and participating in the activities that give their lives meaning. As she begins the next chapter of her career, that commitment remains at the centre of everything she hopes to achieve.

Source: University of Missouri–St. Louis