Optometry Research Research Articles

Mental optometry: Perceive to see with the mind’s eye

Mental optometry is a newly recognized word that refers to the interaction of the mind, brain, and sensory perceptions. The pattern established by behavioural optometry's research and assumption linking bodily orientation to the physical field of vision will be followed by the mind's eye, emotions, and actions. All three theories imply the presence of such an idea as a fundamental component of their systems, even if it isn't formally stated. The database was compiled using PubMed, PubMed Central (PMC), the Cochrane library, Google scholar, and research gate. Mental Optometry provides a neurobiologically informed knowledge of mood, emotion, and thinking. Visual stimulus interpretations, enabling for therapeutic treatments to help patients recognize and rectify skewed judgments. Optometrists have an important role in patients with mental illness. Finally, we must evaluate how enhancing ocular health and visual suppleness may assist our patients improve their overall feeling of well-being.

Optometry research in Spain: Topics of interest, institutions and investigators.

To determine the institutions, journals of choice and topics of investigation of the most prolific and highly cited Spanish optometrist researchers. As a primary search strategy, the Scopus database (Elsevier) was queried with the terms (optometr* OR "contact lens*" OR refracti* OR *ocular) and the affiliation country filter "Spain". The list of authors returned by the primary search was used in a secondary manual search based on co-authors and institutions. Authors were included in the analysis if they had an h-index > 10, were of Spanish nationality, were affiliated to Spanish institutions, and possessed an optometry degree. Authors were ranked by h-index, number of publications and number of citations. Topics of research interest and target journals were determined by analyzing the 10 most highly cited papers of each author. A total of 32 authors with an h-index > 10 were identified, of whom 14 (43.7%) were female. Only one author had an h-index > 40, and 7 (21.9%) authors had an h-index over 20. The Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery was the first journal of choice (19.1% of highest cited papers), followed by Optometry and Vision Science (10.3%). The Universidad Complutense de Madrid hosted the largest percentage of authors (18.7%), followed by the Universitat de València (15.6%). Main topics of research interest were topography (6.5% of papers), cornea (6.2%) and contact lens (5.0%). Optometry in Spain is a fertile field of research, with an increasing number of highly cited authors publishing in high impact journals.

Harnessing the potential of practice-based clinical optometry research in the United Kingdom.

Research is the core of evidence-based practice across all healthcare, in order to ensure optimum patient care. The College of Optometrists is a national standard setting institution for optometric practice in the United Kingdom. However, the standards are only as good as the available evidence, and currently there is little evidence relating directly to optometric practice. The National Institute of Health and Care Research, the General Medical Council and The College of Optometrists, amongst others, have published research strategies describing ambitious plans to expand the scope of healthcare research. The aim of this article is to raise awareness of these government initiatives and consider how they may relate to optometric practice. To improve optometrist research engagement, we need to address the barriers to research and implement strategies to overcome them. There are many opportunities to support research, with different degrees of involvement, from signposting patients to research studies, supporting recruitment or collecting data for a multicentre clinical trial, as well as undertaking an individual research project. Healthcare research is changing and there is scope for more practice-based research activities in optometry. Research should not be a solo endeavour but a multi-disciplinary effort. Greater collaborations across all stakeholders, including primary care, secondary care, academia, regulators and industry is needed to make this possible.

The Limited Level of Digital Skills and Competencies of Optometry Students

Aim/Purpose: Digital health is increasingly being utilized in clinical practice given its ease of accessibility, but it lacks emphasis from universities and accreditation bodies. This study attempted to better understand the digital capabilities of optometry students. Background: With technological advancements transforming the Australian workforce and healthcare, there is a growing demand for digitally competent graduates. This study investigated digital perceptions and preferences of optometry students relating to their studies and readiness for work in healthcare. Methodology: Current optometry students participated in an anonymous online survey. Questions were designed to evaluate their understanding and awareness of digital skills and competencies for learning whilst at university, and for use in the health sector workforce. Results were analyzed to underscore key trends and answers to open-ended questions underwent inductive thematic analysis to generate themes for discussion. Contribution: Optometry educators can bridge the gap in digital practices between students and the workplace by obtaining a baseline of their capabilities and incorporating specific activities within the curriculum to increase student awareness and support their understanding and development in this aspect. Findings: Most students were confident in using daily technologies for learning. Reference management software was perceived to be most important and useful skill to attain. While students were less confident in creating applications, they were keen to learn even though it seemed peripheral to their career and professional development. 70% of the students knew how to manage their online privacy and security. Of the students, 92% highlighted that attaining competency in digital skills would enhance their career and professional development, but only 54% believed they possessed the relevant skills for entering the workforce. Only 19% of the students reported having sufficient university support. Recommendations for Practitioners: Digital capabilities of learners do need to be taught explicitly and should not be assumed. To improve student learning outcomes, digital skills and competencies need to be embedded throughout the curriculum and addressed through learning objectives. Recommendation for Researchers: More work needs to be done in implementing digital training and services at a subject, course, and institutional level. Some international benchmarking of optometry curricula and optometry research would clarify the need for digital education, to educators and students alike. Impact on Society: Currently, there is a lack of recognition of digital health by accrediting bodies, thus preventing digital competency from being a priority in the curriculum of schools. There is a further need to establish dialogue between universities, employers, and accrediting bodies to set consistent and realistic expectations of digital skills and competencies. Future Research: Future studies should consider having larger sample sizes to observe similarities and differences in digital capabilities between year levels. Student focus groups and interviews can be performed to better understand the rationale behind the desire and interest to learn digital technologies that seemed irrelevant to optometry.

Optometry Research Agenda for the Next Decade: 20/20 by 2030

Optometry Research Agenda for the Next Decade: 20/20 by 2030

Agreement of corneal measurements between dual rotating Scheimpflug–Placido system and Placido-based topography device in normal and keratoconus eyes

To compare the anterior corneal measurements between Placido-based topography and dual-Scheimpflug topography in healthy and keratoconus eyes. Optometry Research Group, Instituto Universitario de Oftalmobiología Aplicada, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain. Comparative case series. The mean simulated keratometry (K), flat K, steep K, astigmatism power, corneal astigmatism axis, J0, J45, maximum corneal power point, and white-to-white (WTW) distance were collected and compared between healthy eyes and keratoconus eyes. The study evaluated in 56 healthy eyes and 56 keratoconus eyes. Placido-based topography underestimated all topographic values except J45 and WTW in healthy eyes and J0, maximum corneal power point, and WTW in keratoconus eyes, with statistically significant differences in astigmatism (healthy), flat K (keratoconus), axis (keratoconus), J0, J45, and WTW (P<.05). Healthy eyes showed better agreement (95% limits of agreement: simulated K -0.13 to 0.40; steep K -0.30 to 0.59; flat K -0.29 to 0.51; astigmatism -0.60 to 0.64; J0 -1.15 to 1.13; J45 -1.10 to 1.20; maximum corneal power point -0.70 to 1.17; WTW -0.96 to 0.76mm) than keratoconic eyes (simulated K -2.84 to 4.55; steep K -2.80 to 5.21; flat K -3.68 to 4.70; astigmatism -1.90 to 2.95; J0 -2.85 to 3.20; J45 -3.21 to 3.05; maximum corneal power point -7.00 to 4.51 D; WTW -1.00 to 0.88). Healthy eyes showed better agreement than keratoconus eyes between Placido-based and dual-Scheimpflug topography. Both instruments could be used interchangeably with caution in healthy eyes, but not in keratoconus management. None of the authors has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

The role of refraction in vision research

Refraction is defined as the act of determining the focal condition (emmetropia or various ametropias) of the eye and its corrections by optical devices, usually spectacles or contact lenses.1 It is one of the most important activities of the clinical work of optometrists and an indispensable variable to be considered in studies on vision. Refraction is a cause of avoidable blindness, being the second cause of blindness in less-developed countries (18%), after cataract (39%).2 Likewise, refraction is the first factor to consider in cases of binocular and accommodative disorders and consequently the first condition treated in such cases.3 Furthermore, one of the main areas of research and innovation in Visual Sciences, refractive surgery, is aimed at minimizing refraction, at providing spectacle independence and consequently quality of life.4 Therefore, refraction is one of the most important variables to evaluate in studies on vision and consequently in studies on Optometry, as a branch of Visual Sciences. A great variety of studies evaluating the effect of some therapeutic approaches, the outcomes with different optical aids, the distribution of refractive errors in different areas of the world or how to evaluate the impact of refractive error in some vision-related abilities have been conducted and reported since many years ago. The current issue of Journal of Optometry is an additional contribution to scientific community with some interesting and well-conducted researches involving refraction. The evaluation of the distribution of refractive errors in some distant areas such as Puerto Rico or Qassim Province (Saudi Arabia) as well as the study of the prevalence of asymptomatic ocular conditions in subjects with refractive-based symptoms in a Canadian population are shown in the current issue. Likewise, the refractive change as well as other related changes after corneal surgery are discussed in two papers, one about seasonal changes in the outcome after LASIK surgery and another review paper about the outcome of corneal collagen crosslinking. Optometrists must continue considering in the clinical practice refraction as a crucial tool to evaluate the results of different optometric treatment approaches, to define the most adequate protocol to follow, and to diagnose some eye conditions. In agreement with this, Optometry research must deepen their knowledge on refractive changes in different ocular conditions as well as on new options to compensate refractive errors.

Interdisciplinary research in Optometry

It has been a great honour to be called to act as a topical editor for the special issue of the Journal of Optometry on interdisciplinary research. Because of globalisation, rapid increase in information technology capabilities and accumulative complexity of problems tackled by today's professionals, optometry, like most disciplines, becomes more and more interdisciplinary and provides a plethora of opportunities for collaborative research efforts. Those endeavours provide a fertile ground for transfer of knowledge between the disciplines and, in turn, act as effective drivers of innovation. Nowadays collaboration is common for optometry and ophthalmology researchers. A good sense of that can be experiences, for examples, at one of the ARVO (The Associations for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology) meetings. There, next to optometry and ophthalmology professionals one can meet (in alphabetical order) biologists, chemists, electronics engineers, geneticists, information technology professionals, mathematicians, physicists, mechanical engineers, nanotechnologists, psychologists and zoologists, just to mention the few. This interdisciplinary character of optometry research made the job of the topical editor and the team of invited guest editors particularly exciting. The response to call for papers published in the 5th Issue of the Journal of Optometry last year was overwhelming. We thank all contributors, including those who submitted excellent articles that we could not consider for this special issue. Space was critical and we needed to make many difficult decisions, but we are confident that those articles will find their place in other issues of the Journal of Optometry or other journals. We are particularly grateful to all international reviewers who did excellent work in a timely fashion. All accepted papers of this special issue are examples of strong interdisciplinary collaboration. The first two papers link optometry and ophthalmology professionals working on tear film and dry eye with information technology professionals developing signal and image processing algorithms. David Alonso-Caneiro et al. utilise the methodologies of texture analysis for dynamic videokeratoscopy images in the aim to assess the quality of tear film surface while Celik Turgay et al. apply Gabor wavelets for automated gland segmentation in meibography infrared images. The third paper, by Carmen Dominguez-Godinez et al., continues the topic of tear film and considers the possibility of using soft contact lenses to improve the secretagogue role of a particular intracellular signal molecule (diadenosine tetraphosphate) in promoting tear secretion. Further, Maryam Mousavi and Richard Armstrong provide a very comprehensive review on genetic risk factors associated with age related macular degeneration while Uday Kumar Addepalli et al. seeks an agreement between glaucoma specialists and experienced optometrists in gonioscopy and optic disc evaluation. Finally, Haya Shames et al. presents an interesting case report of an eight year old male with refractive instabilities caused by corneal distortions that were associated with chronic habit of abnormal eye rubbing where the interdisciplinary collaboration between professionals was essential to diagnosis. As a final point, together with Thomas Millar, Jesus Pintor and Michael Mrochen, the Guest Editors, let me thank Jose M. Gonzalez-Meijome, the editor-in-chief, for his enormous efforts and timely coordination of this Special Issue.

Interdisciplinary research in Optometry – Call for papers

The scientific activity in optometry has tremendously increased in the last few decades. A great deal of this activity has emerged from the collaboration between interdisciplinary research teams. It is well recognized that the knowledge transfer between diverse groups of researchers is one of the most effective drivers of innovation. The advent of modern refractive surgery, advances in eye disease diagnosis and treatment, as well as the technological advances related to these clinical activities has driven an increased demand of research activity that merged the knowledge of clinicians, basic and applied scientists, engineers and software developers bringing the cutting-edge technology to the market. We find examples of interdisciplinary research in optometry not only in the development of examination and diagnostic instrumentation, but also in the areas of biology and physiology of the eye, neurophysiology, ocular surface, or nanotechnology. With this in mind the Journal of Optometry is launching a Call for Papers on the topic “Interdisciplinary Research in Optometry” to be published in a Special Issue by July-September 2013. The accepted papers will benefit from the electronic publication ahead of print. The project will be led by Professor D. Robert Iskander (Wroclaw University of Technology, Poland) as Topical Editor, assisted by Guest Editors Prof. Thomas Millar (University of Western Sydney, Australia), Prof. Jesus Pintor (Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain) and Dr. Michael Mrochen (IROC Science to Innovation AG, Switzerland). We would like to invite authors to submit their recent and original research results. Of particular interest are works showing interaction between scientists from diverse fields that provides a clear advantage to generate significant innovations in optometry research and clinical practice. This could include clinical, technological or biologically-oriented topics among others. Prospective authors are encouraged to discuss the style of their proposed papers with the topical editor to help ensure that the issue as a whole will be coherent and intelligible to the broader community of optometry and ophthalmology specialists and visual scientists. Deadline for submissions is March 31st, 2013.

Imaging and Measurement in the Eye

Nearly all the eye's structures, from the retina at the back of the eye to the tear film at the front, can now be imaged and measured in vivo with outstanding resolution and precision. Imaging and measurement of the eye is fundamental to both research and clinical practice in optometry, and the technologies to do this have mushroomed exponentially in recent decades. The capabilities of these current imaging technologies are most impressive, allowing the visualization of the fine structure of the eye that was not conceivable 20 years ago. From the observation of corneal nerve fibers and epithelial cells and the three-dimensional visualization of the retina and optic nerve head to the imaging of individual photoreceptor cells, these remarkable advances in our ability to image and measure the eye have changed the way optometry is practiced clinically and have led to numerous important scientific discoveries. As these advanced imaging methods continue to develop, the potential for imaging ocular structures down to the cellular level in everyday clinical practice has become a reality, and the potential to improve patient care is truly stunning.

Evidence‐based optometry and in‐practice research

Evidence‐based optometry and in‐practice research

Plans for the development of the journal

Plans for the development of the journal

Recent developments on the scientific research in optometry and visual science in China

The current text reviewed the situation of the scientific research in the field of Optometry and visual sciences in the recent 5 to 6 years in our country. It showed the advancement and achievement in the myopic fundamental research and the application research of visual science. In addition, it also analyzed the guidance of research in solving the clinical visual issues and the significance of community service of research in eye care in public. This text indicated by the concrete current situation and the result data of research that the biology and optics, the double property of the eye endowed the distinguished feature to the research in Ophthalmology and Optometry, and that the cross cooperation of multidisciplinary promoted the innovation in the fields of Optometry and visual research. In future, the fields of Optometry and visual science in China will face up to more and more anticipations of the original and systematic research. The prophylaxis and treatment of myopia would be still a long-term and rough exploration theme in these fields.

Fully apply the optometry knowledge to improve the visual quality of Chinese people

With the rapid development of modern ophthalmology and optometry, people put in higher claim for visual quality. However, the application and penetration of the optometry knowledge and research achievement in every domain of ophthalmology are bound to affect the elevation of visual quality, which is one of the highlights our future work.

INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH EDUCATION IN COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL INTERACTION AMONG HEALTHY OLDER ADULTS

An innovative gerontology education program was developed to advance research on aging that is interdisciplinary and promotes the translation of knowledge from lab to life. The program focuses on communication and social interaction in healthy aging. It brings together faculty mentors, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows from six different postsecondary institutions in Canada. The program unifies basic laboratory research in hearing, vision, and cognition with applied research in audiology, biomedical engineering, optometry, psychology, speech-language pathology, human factors, and social work. The design, implementation, and evaluation of the first year of the program are described and future directions are suggested.

Popperian falsification of methods of assessing surgically induced astigmatism

Purpose To test several methods of assessing surgically induced astigmatism (SIA). Setting Department of Ophthalmology, Århus University Hospital, Århus, Denmark. Methods Assessment methods can be divided into 3 groups. Group 1 includes methods that consider only astigmatic magnitude and disregard astigmatic direction, such as the algebraic and simple subtraction methods. Group 2 can be termed “astigmatic magnitude not considering axis” and includes several almost identical techniques known as the methods of Naylor, Jaffe, Kaye, Holladay, and Olsen. Group 3 includes Naeser polar value analysis and the methods later described by Alpins and Holladay. The methods were tested in situations in which the expected result was known. When this result was not produced, the specific assessment method was considered falsified in a classical Popperian manner. Results The simple falsification experiments revealed that the methods in Groups 1 and 2 are erroneous. Mathematical analysis disclosed that the methods in Group 3 are similar, although derived from different concepts. Conclusion The algebraic, simple subtraction, astigmatic magnitude not considering axis, and vector decomposition methods for assessment of SIA are erroneous and should not be used. The Naeser, Alpins, and Holladay methods are identical and in agreement with current research in optometry.

Geometry Turned On: Dynamic Software in Learning, Teaching and Research

Part I. Personal Reflections On Investigation, Discovery, and Proof: 1. Discovery and dissection of a geometric gem Douglas R. Hofstadter 2. The role and function of proof in dynamic geometry: some personal reflections Michael de Villiers 3. Dynamic geometry renews interest in an old problem Dan Bennett 4. Dynamic geometry as a bridge from Euclidean geometry to analysis Albert A. Cuoco and E. Paul Goldenberg Part II. Dynamic Geometry In The Classroom: 5. Dynamic visualization from middle school through College James Morrow 6. Geometer's sketchpad in the classroom Tim Garry 7. Students discovering geometry using dynamic geometry software Michael Keyton 8. Moving triangles 9. Experiences with geometer's sketchpad in the classroom Kathryn W. Boehm 10. Beyond elementary constructions: selected exercises Arnold Perham and Bernadette H. Perham 11. Interactive generation, manipulation, and application of loci Heinz Schumann 12. Calculus with dynamic geometry Catherine A. Gorini 13. Beginning geometry at college Tony Hampson 14. Identifying transformations by their orbits James M. Parks 15. Dynamic proofs that use similarities James King 16. Visualization of group theory concepts through dynamic geometry Doris Schattschneider 17. Using the geometer's sketchpad with preservice teachers Zhonghong Jian and Edwin McClintock 18. Fish in the pond: inquiry with dynamic geometry Fadia Harik Part III. Dynamic Visualization In History, Perception, Optics and Aerodynamics: 19. Drawing logarithmic curves with geometer's sketchpad: a method inspired by historical sources David Dennis and Jere Confrey 20. Lost in the funhouse: an application of dynamic projective geometry Susan Addington and Stuart Levy 21. The use of dynamic geometry software in teaching and research in optometry and vision science Benjamin T. Backus 22. Creating airfoils from circles: the Joukowski transformation John Olive Part IV. The Worlds Of Dynamic Geometry: Issues In Design And Use: 23. Drawing worlds: scripted exploration environments in the geometer's sketchpad R. Nicholas Jackiw 24. Dynamic geometry and declarative geometric programming Richard J. Allen and Laurent Trilling.

Optometry research. Part 2: Grants received.

Part 1 showed that the dominant provider of ophthalmic research funding (85%) was the National Eye Institute (NEI) and that on the average optometry faculty members had received about 3% of that funding over the years. Part 2 shows how this 3% of NEI funding has been distributed among the 16 U.S. schools in existence during the period studied and why 3% is a rational result under current conditions.

Optometry research. Part 1: Funding sources.

Part 1 of this report presents an overview of U.S. ophthalmic research in general and of optometry research in particular and identifies the National Eye Institute (NEI) as the dominant funder of both types of research. Part 2 examines how NEI funding has been distributed among the U.S. schools and colleges of optometry in the past, whereas Part 3 examines the production of published research from the schools and colleges and the Department of Veterans Affairs Optometry Service. Information is presented to indicate that the schools of optometry account for about 3% of all NEI funding and produce about 3% of all published ophthalmic research. Published optometry research results mainly from the activities of four schools and the VA Optometry Service, which has rapidly become the leading source of articles published in The Journal of the American Optometric Association and presenter of continuing education at the Academy's annual Ellerbrock Lectures. This study suggests optometry needs to husband its relatively small research base and, in the author's opinion, concentrate on the support of clinical trials and research directly relevant to primary eye care rather than basic biologic or physiologic research.

Single-subject research designs for optometry.

Single-subject research designs are used extensively in the fields of education and psychology. There are many advantages of these designs over traditional group designs and they appear particularly important for applied research in optometry. An overview of the basic designs is presented. For each type of design, examples are provided that illustrate the application of this methodology to applied optometric research.