Denise Delatoba of Gautier is the type of patient helped by the nonprofit Community Services for Vision Rehabilitation.

Delatoba, 49, woke up one morning unable to see out of her left eye, she said. An orange-sized tumor in her brain had pressed on her optic nerve and severely impaired her vision, she said.

Her right eye also was affected by the tumor, which has been removed, she said.

But she was left with vision problems that the new clinic is helping, she said.

Dr. Joseph Fontenot, who started Community Services for Vision Rehabilitation in 2003 in Fairhope, Ala., brought the service to Gulfport in March. Delatoba was the first patient.

The office is located in the rear of the South Mississippi Planning and Development office at 9229 U.S. 49, Gulfport.

Community Services for Vision Rehabilitation also has offices in Daphne, Mobile and Montgomery, Ala., to help people cope with vision loss.

Fontenot, a Mobile cardiologist from 1974 to 2003, said he copes with low vision.

"In 1988, when still practicing cardiology, I developed a congenital form of macular degeneration," he said.

Fontenot continued to practice cardiology, but had to stop doing certain procedures, he said.

"I actively searched for ways to be able to continue to function," he said.

"I realized the vast majority of people who have vision loss were not aware of all the things that were available," he said.

Fontenot left his cardiology practice and turned to helping people with low vision in 2003. In 2006 he formed the nonprofit, which has seen about 2,000 patients, he said.

Delatoba said she was referred to the clinic by a vocational and rehabilitation counselor in Gautier.

"I was excited to go meet with them and happy to see somebody is trying to get some stuff here on the coast for us," she said.

Similar services are available to her only in Jackson or Tupelo, she said.

"He is just an awesome man," she said of Fontenot. "He was so kind to provide me with some visual aids because, right now, I have nothing to help me with my vision and there is a lot of stuff available."

Delatoba said Fontenot supplied her with a magnifier and a device that looks like a computer mouse that she connects to a television to magnify objects and text.

"For the first time, I've been able to read a piece of mail again," she said. "You lose so much independence when you lose your vision."

Fontenot, who is medical director for the clinics, said the services offered are different from those usually provided by ophthalmologists.

"None of the eye doctors in this area practice what's called 'low-vision rehabilitation,'" he said.

Patient visits can last up to an hour and half as they are tested and options are determined to help them cope with their vision problem, he said.

"After tests, we then have a very good idea what the patient would need to be able to function better," he said.

The remedy may as simple as how to position a light, using magnifying glasses or computer devices, he said.

The common causes of low vision are macular degeneration, diabetes and glaucoma, he said.

"We'll see anybody with or without insurance," Fontenot said.

How to contact Community Services for Vision Rehabilitation

Web: Csvrlowvision.org

Phone: 228-760-0788

Email: visionrehab@bellsouth.net