HOME-GROWN BUSINESS : Mentor business helps people who have vision impairments
By CARL E. FEATHERLifestyle Editor
If you are 65 or older and possess the visual acuity to make out the words on this page, you are a member of a shrinking majority.
According to Debbie Kogler, owner of Magnifiers & More, one out of five people in that age group have visual impairment. By 2010, it will be one out of three. By 2030, when the Baby Boomer generation peaks into old age, one out of two will be visually impaired.
"It's an epidemic," says Kogler, a state and nationally licensed optician.
Five years ago, Kogler left the security of her position with the Cleveland Clinic to launch a business that would help visually impaired persons live independently for as long as possible. While Kogler had worked with visually impaired persons in her professional career, it wasn't until her grandmother, Margaret Allen, developed a low-vision disease that sent Kogler looking for products that would allow her grandmother work around her disability. She discovered there wasn't much available beyond basic, off-the-shelf magnifiers.
"Because of that disease, I felt the frustration she went through," says Kogler. "That piqued my interest to find out if there were more devices for someone with low-vision impairment."
Kogler says her grandmother inspired her to eventually open a store on Mentor Avenue and dedicate her life to helping people with this issue.
"It was a calling," she says. "I truly believe it was my grandmother and God telling me this was needed in Lake, Ashtabula and Geauga counites.
The store is located at 9775 Mentor Avenue (Route 20), across from the Great Lakes Mall. Her shop is in the rear section of the Pier 1 Imports store.
Bright, spacious and well-stocked, Kogler's store is more than a place to purchase things. She offers free consultations and has a section of the store set up like a living room with a television and recliner so shoppers can test out products. Kogler will conduct a basic vision acuity test, as well, although most shoppers come prepared with the results from their latest eye examination.
What the first-time visitor isn't prepared for, however, is to be greeted by the business' CEO - that's Canine Executive Officer.
Murphy Kogler, a 6-year-old golden retriever as gentle as the fallen snow, greets every customer, then returns to his lair under Kogler's desk or playing with one of the dozens of "executive toys" in his cache.
"A lot of people come in just to see him," says Kogler. "Around this time of year, we start to get presents in here, and they are all for Murphy."
Murphy is a licensed service and therapy dog trained by his owner. He and Kogler volunteer their Wednesdays at a school for special needs children.
Kogler is also assisted in her business by employees Beverly Ball and Edwin Janoch. Janoch, 45, has been visually impaired from birth. He suffers from retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and like many of the people who come into the store, requires magnification devices to read print.
With help from these devices and software, Janoch puts out a quarterly newsletter and maintains the store's Web site, magnifiersandmore.net. He has a bachelor's in communicative arts and has completed Microsoft Office training. Kogler says he's an inspiration and valuable resource for customers dealing with vision impairment.
"I think he adds some comfort," she says. "People come in here scared, apprehensive on their first visit."
"One of the hardest things is that for many of these people, their vision has been fine for so long, and then all of a sudden, bingo, it's not what it used to be," she adds.
Poor vision zone
Macular degeneration is the most common vision impairment among Kogler's customers - of the 80 percent who are over 65, 60 percent of them have macular degeneration. She says it's a condition that's on the rise, as well. Known risk factors include UV exposure earlier in life, smoking, being a woman and a lack of antioxidants in the diet.
Having seen how devastating macular degeneration is, Kogler includes a strong education outreach as part of her business. To emphasize the need for UV protection, even Murphy wears sunglasses when he goes outdoors.
To help raise money for research into macular degeneration and other vision-impairing diseases, Kogler developed a VIP wristband that sells for $2. Kogler says the wristband also helps identify the person wearing it as someone with vision impairment. Most people who have an impairment don't look different from those with normal vision; the wristband helps alert the grocery clerk, police officer or rescue personnel to their special needs.
Yet another way Kogler helps encourage this growing community is a monthly support group at the Mentor Senior Center. Started in May 2006, the group has grown to 35 participants.
Kogler says these services are part of what her business is all about.
"Our whole goal is to keep them safe and independent," she says.
She stocks at least 300 different items to accomplish that end. About a quarter of them are magnifiers, which may seem like overkill until you understand the special needs of people with vision impairment.
For example, hand-held magnifiers must do more than just enlarge the object because there's a dimming of the vision, as well. Consequently, many of the magnifiers have an LED light built in. LEDs consume less power than traditional bulbs and have the added benefit of never burning out. That means a person with poor vision doesn't have to tackle the difficult task of replacing a small bulb.
There are portable magnifiers used to read a menu or map, light-weight models for prolonged hand holding and stand-mounted ones for stationary use. Kogler says off-the-shelf magnifiers often don't use optical glass and grinding techniques, and therefore distort the image.
Kogler does not stock strong magnifiers that cover a big area: that's optically impossible.
"There's a misconception that the bigger the magnifier, the stronger it is," she says. "It's actually the opposite. A small magnifier will be much stronger."
The ultimate "magnifier" is the reading machine. The machines display on a CRT or LCD monitor an image of whatever is placed under it's lens. In the more expensive machines, electronics enhance the contrast, background and resolution of the original to optimize it for the user.
Kogler also sells software that works within other programs, such as Microsoft Word, to enlarge and enhance the display beyond the operating system's capabilities. Some of the software will "read" back whatever is typed or read Web sites and e-mails.
The store also sells simple life enhancement products like calculators, telephones and remote controls with large keys; talking watches, clocks and microwave ovens; and writing guides, bold pens and bold-lined writing paper. An entire section is devoted to large-print crossword puzzle books, calendars and check registers. There are even large-print playing cards and Monopoly games.
Kogler says the quantity and variety of items that have come onto the market has increased significantly since she first started shopping for her grandmother 12 years ago. Manufacturers are recognizing the epidemic and responding.
Unfortunately, insurance companies are not. Kogler says virtually everything they sell is private pay. Some of the items, like the reading machines, can cost more than $2,7000.
Kogler reminds customers hit by the sticker shock that if a corrective surgery or medication were available at that price, they'd probably pay it in a heartbeat. The aids she sells won't restore their sight, but they can help them keep their independence.
People who have family members with vision impairment can find lots of holiday gift ideas at the store. Additionally, thanks to the racks of information Kogler freely dispenses, they might also get a future gift for themselves - good vision into the golden years.
"We do a lot of education and awareness here," she says. "We all take our eyes for granted until something goes wrong."
Magnifiers & More is located at 7775 Mentor Ave., Mentor. Look for the Pier 1 Imports store.
Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Wednesdays, when the store is closed all day. Saturday hours are 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Kogler will also do after-hours consultations in the store by appointment.
online: magnifiersandmore.net
email: cbetter@earthlink.net
phone: 440/946-3363
Star Beacon Print Edition: 12/11/2006
