EyeWorld Asia-Pacific March 2020 Issue

NEWS & OPINION EWAP MARCH 2020 57 N ate Berkus, a celebrity interior designer, knows first-hand how interior design isn’t just about aesthetic. Sometimes functionality truly takes the upper hand, such as when patients might have specific needs due to visual impairment. “My grandmother was impacted by macular degeneration, so I can really appreciate the role home design can have in helping people maintain their independence,” Mr. Berkus told EyeWorld in an email. “I remember us standing in her condo trying to figure out how to help her, but we just didn’t have the answers.” He might not have known what would be best for her specific eye condition then, but he does now. Mr. Berkus teamed up with Novartis and vision-focused patient advocacy partners— MD Support, SupportSight, Lighthouse Guild, BrightFocus Foundation, Macular Degeneration Association, and Prevent Blindness—to create a design guide that could help patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) function well within their homes without sacrificing style. “As people’s vision changes, everyday things can pose new challenges,” Mr. Berkus said. “My Home in Sight offers five key principles, including safety, contrast/color, lighting, organization, and low-vision tools, to help those impacted by wet AMD live safely and more independently. These are all smart and easy ways to adapt your space.” Here are some of Mr. Berkus’ specific tips: • Using high-contrast accessories and color can really help improve safety by helping to define where things are in a space. For example, add contrasting pillows to chairs, or a bold, textured throw at the edge Home design hacks to help patients with reduced vision by Liz Hillman EyeWorld Editorial Co-Director Contact information Berkus: CLopez@webershandwick.com Bert: trace@longocommunications.com Iwach: teresa@tgpcomm.com This article originally appeared in the December 2019 issue of EyeWorld. It has been slightly modified and appears here with permission from the ASCRS Ophthalmic Services Corp. Celebrity interior designer Nate Berkus teamed up with several organizations to design a guide to help patients with wet AMD func- tion well in their homes.