Henneberg-Rehaklinik Masserberg GmbH
GERMANY
About us:
The Henneberg-Rehaklinik Masserberg is the only inpatient rehabilitation clinic in Germany specialising in ophthalmological rehabilitation. Located in a climatic health resort in the Thuringian Forest, the clinic has a tradition in eye care that goes back to 1949, when it was established as an outpost of the University Eye Hospital in Jena. Today, it serves patients from across Germany who live with the consequences of acquired or progressive visual impairment.
Our rehabilitation concept is holistic, multimodal and interdisciplinary. It follows the biopsychosocial model and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The focus is not on the underlying eye disease itself, but on the resulting impairment of visual functions and its impact on personal activity, social participation and the ability to work. In 2025, the clinic admitted arround 1,500 rehabilitants; around 85% – 90 % of them were of working age.
Multiprofessional team
Rehabilitation is delivered by a multiprofessional team under ophthalmological guidance. The team includes ophthalmologists, optometrists, orthoptists, psychologists and psychotherapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and sports therapists, nursing staff, social workers and rehabilitation teachers for orientation & mobility (O&M) and daily living skills (DLS).
Range of services
Our rehabilitation programme combines, among other elements:
- close medical supervision and treatment of secondary conditions (e.g. ocular surface disease, uveitis, glaucoma management, choroidal melanoma follow-up);
- low-vision counselling and provision of optical, electronic and assistive aids, including scleral and occlusion contact lenses;
- specific visual training such as eccentric viewing for central scotomas, compensatory saccade training for hemianopia, and orthoptic training;
- balance, mobility and fall-prevention training, including cervical motor control, Feldenkrais and terrain training;
- workplace training in a modern screen-workstation laboratory, including ergonomics, assistive technology and dry-eye prevention strategies;
- psychological support for coping with sight loss, fatigue, anxiety and depression, including a German adaptation of the E-nergEYEze programme;
- social and legal counselling on disability law, workplace rights and access to assistive devices;
- basic mobility training in cooperation with regional rehabilitation teachers.
Medical-vocational rehabilitation
The clinic is certified for medical-vocational rehabilitation. For patients whose return to work is uncertain, a one-week functional work-capacity assessment can be conducted in cooperation with the specialised vocational rehabilitation centre BFW Halle during the rehabilitation stay.
Research and development
Together with academic partners — including the Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena, the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg and Amsterdam UMC — the clinic develops and evaluates new rehabilitation approaches. Recent projects include “Tel-O-Rena”, an accessible telemedical rehabilitation aftercare programme funded by the German Federal Pension Insurance. The clinic is also a member of the working group “Teilhabe bei Sehverlust” of the German Association for Rehabilitation (DVfR) and contributes to the development of curricula for optometry and rehabilitation teaching in Germany.
Contacts
Contact Person:
Prof. Dr. habil. Kathleen S. Kunert
Head Physician
E-mail:
kathleen.kunert@henneberg-kliniken.de
Public contacts:
Phone:
+49 36870 81-590
Website:
rehaklinik-thueringen.de
Postal Address
Henneberg-Rehaklinik Masserberg GmbH
