The Center for the Partially Sighted is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 non-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 with the goal of promoting independent living

Independent living

Independent living, as seen by its advocates, is a philosophy, a way of looking at disability and society, and a worldwide movement of people with disabilities working for self-determination, self-respect and equal opportunities...

 for people with visual impairment

Visual impairment

Visual impairment is vision loss to such a degree as to qualify as an additional support need through a significant limitation of visual capability resulting from either disease, trauma, or congenital or degenerative conditions that cannot be corrected by conventional means, such as refractive...

s. The center was founded in 1978 by Sam Genensky and two associates as an outreach program of the Santa Monica Hospital (now the Santa Monica – UCLA Medical Center).

The Center works with persons who have partial to profound vision loss as a result of macular degeneration

Macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration is a medical condition which usually affects older adults and results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field because of damage to the retina. It occurs in “dry” and “wet” forms. It is a major cause of blindness and visual impairment in older adults...

, glaucoma

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is an eye disorder in which the optic nerve suffers damage, permanently damaging vision in the affected eye and progressing to complete blindness if untreated. It is often, but not always, associated with increased pressure of the fluid in the eye...

, stroke

Stroke

A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...

s, cataracts, complications of diabetes, retinitis pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of genetic eye conditions that leads to incurable blindness. In the progression of symptoms for RP, night blindness generally precedes tunnel vision by years or even decades. Many people with RP do not become legally blind until their 40s or 50s and retain some...

, cortical visual impairment

Cortical visual impairment

Cortical visual impairment is a form of visual impairment that is caused by a brain problem rather than an eye problem. Some people have both CVI and a form of ocular visual impairment.CVI is also sometimes known as cortical blindness, although most people with CVI...

, retinopathy of prematurity

Retinopathy of prematurity

Retinopathy of prematurity , previously known as retrolental fibroplasia , is an eye disease that affects prematurely-born babies. It is thought to be caused by disorganized growth of retinal blood vessels which may result in scarring and retinal detachment. ROP can be mild and may resolve...

, atrophy

Atrophy

Atrophy is the partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body. Causes of atrophy include mutations , poor nourishment, poor circulation, loss of hormonal support, loss of nerve supply to the target organ, disuse or lack of exercise or disease intrinsic to the tissue itself...

 of the optic nerve

Optic nerve

The optic nerve, also called cranial nerve 2, transmits visual information from the retina to the brain. Derived from the embryonic retinal ganglion cell, a diverticulum located in the diencephalon, the optic nerve doesn't regenerate after transection.-Anatomy:The optic nerve is the second of...

, albinism

Albinism

Albinism is a congenital disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes due to absence or defect of an enzyme involved in the production of melanin...

, and eye injury

Eye injury

Physical or chemical injuries of the eye can be a serious threat to vision if not treated appropriately and in a timely fashion. The most obvious presentation of ocular injuries is redness and pain of the affected eyes. This is not, however, universally true, as tiny metallic projectiles may cause...

. It provides several services to persons from these conditions, including optometric counseling, life counseling, rehabilitation assistance, and specialized programs such as residential visits to advise in making living areas more liveable.

The Center has five offices, all in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. The Main Office and Pasadena/Eagle Rock Office are in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

; the Valley Office is in Tarzana; the Central Coast Office is in San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, California

San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...

; and the South Bay Office is in Torrance

Torrance, California

Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...

. With prior arrangements, language translators are available at these offices. The Los Angeles office serves about 2,300 persons per year.

The Center charges for its services, but reduces or eliminates the charge depending on a person's financial resources. It receives grants from government agencies and donations from private foundations. One such grant established the George and Reva Graziado Institute for Low Vision Education, a subsidiary of the Center. This Institute administers a Continuing Education Program, which provides Continuing Education Credits (CEU) on low-vision rehabilitation topics, and is approved for optometrists, psychologists, social workers, MFTs, nurses and other rehabilitation specialists. The Institute also administers a Low Vision Internship and Residency Program, which provides fourth-year internships to fourth-year optometry students from the Southern California College of Optometry

Southern California College of Optometry

Southern California College of Optometry is a private, 4-year university, founded in 1904 and is located in Fullerton, California. The college offers a post-baccalaureate program leading to the degree, Doctor of Optometry ....

 (located in Fullerton, California

Fullerton, California

Fullerton is a city located in northern Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 135,161.It was founded in 1887 by George and Edward Amerige and named for George H. Fullerton, who secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...

). It also extends a residency invitation to an Optometry graduate each year.