They also work with educators and rehabilitation specialists to address visual disability. Optometrists are primarily impairment specialists. They diagnose and treat body parts and body systems that relate to the vision system. Some optometrists, however, are specialists in vision disability. They work closely with teachers and with rehabilitation professionals to understand and address the real world tasks faced by chronically affected individuals.
Assessments conducted by optometrists often depend on the specialty area of the doctor.
Blind Rehabilitation Mobility specialists and blind rehabilitation professionals do real world task analysis. They do no diagnostic or medical assessments of the kind referred to here as impairment. A mobility assessment occurs at street crossings, in grocery stores, in shopping malls, in school classrooms and hallways, and in the home. Students are asked to read real clocks, to find information from phone books or text books, to describe facial or full body gestures, and so on. Students are assessed on their ability to use magnification systems in the real world.