‘In the blink of an eye life changed’
For 19 years, Dr. Thomas ‘Tom’ Zampieri, a former U.S. Army medic wore a white coat, a stethoscope, walking the halls of the Canandaigua, Richmond and the Houston VA medical centers flipping the pages of lab test results for patients as a physician’s assistant.
When in the blink of an eye, his life changed from VA employee to patient.
“I’m losing my eyesight and all I’ve ever done is medicine and surgeries”, said Zampieri during a doctor’s appointment.
At the age of 44, Zampieri was diagnosed as with a genetic degenerative eye disease in 2001.
His doctor later provided him with the option of getting medical treatment at a VA Blind Rehabilitation Center to help him adjust to his new normal.
About a year later, Zampieri spent 5-weeks at the Southwestern Blind Rehabilitation Center in Tucson, Arizona as an inpatient.
“I learned how to use certain magnification devices, how to cook safely, special computer training to expand letters, and even mobility and orientation training with a white cane. “I spent an hour everyday training on living skills such as doing my laundry and other manual skills.”
Furthermore, he says it was not until 2010, when the Houston VA founded its Visual Impairment Services Outpatient Rehabilitation program.
Many blind Veterans were referred to one of the now 13 blind rehabilitation centers.
According to Dr. Ana M. Perez, “The three most common causes of vision loss are diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and macular degeneration, Houston VISOR staff optometrist.
Perez says, “Veterans at blind rehabilitation centers still need help once they return home, they cannot watch t.v., are uncomfortable driving and have difficulty reading prescriptions. The VISOR clinic helps with functional vision, with goals specific to the Veteran to assist them in safely navigating their environment.”
Currently, there are nine VISOR programs in the nation with a mission of providing state-of-the-art low vision rehabilitation for Veterans and service members experiencing vision loss while restoring their roles in their families and within their communities.
Research shows that there are more than a million Veterans in the United States with vision loss that cannot be corrected with regular glasses which can cause a loss of ability to perform daily tasks.
“The Houston VISOR Clinic is critical for those Veterans who have sustained vision loss and provides essential living skills for blind Veterans to be independent again, he said.
Out of sight, Out of mind
Originally, from the green valleys of Vermont, Zampieri has always been passionate about providing a voice for Veterans.
His goal has always been helping others in their time of need.
As a physician’s assistant, he was an advocate for political issues regarding medical licensure, prescribing authority and educational scholarship for student Veterans.
After medically retiring from the VA, he later obtained his doctorate degree from Lacrosse University in political science.
His interest in political affairs piqued and led him to a position as the national director of government relations for the Blinded Veterans Association in Washington, D.C.
Soon he was an advocate for disabled Veterans and their medical needs, helping implement legislation for the Military Vision Centers of Excellence and the VA’s Continuum of Care for blind and low vision Veterans’ programs.
Additionally, he has testified before Congress more than 33 times, is a life member of the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Blinded Veterans Association and Vietnam Veterans of America.
Today, he serves on numerous boards as an appointed member many organizations including the VA National Research Advisory Council (NRAC) and the Department of Defense Vision Research Program.
“I used to tell the Congressman that knew me I went from each day taking care of one Veteran at a time in my clinic schedule to suddenly being an advocate for thousands and thousands of disabled Veterans, he said.