Students enrolled in the Optometry program at the University of Manchester are required to take a functional anatomy course during the first year of their studies. Low mean scores in the written examination of this unit for the past two academic years energized staff to rethink the teaching format. Interactive sessions lasting 20 minutes each were…

In this study, we examined differences in dynamic visual acuity between elite and subelite water polo players and sedentary students. To measure dynamic visual acuity binocularly, we asked participants to indicate the orientation of a broken ring, similar to the Landolt C, which increased in size as it moved across a computer screen. Two different…

This article discusses the findings from a study to assess the impact of corrective eye treatment in adults with a learning disability. The Special Visual Assessment Clinic (SVAC) is an optometry led multi professional service delivered in a Resource Centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The study, which included user and carer input in its design,…

There has been renewed interest in regional cooperation since the economic downturn began in late 2007. In 2012, 14 of 15 Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) states are facing dramatic cuts in their budgets, and economists are cautious about predicting exactly when the economy might begin to improve. Fortunately, the…

Regional cooperation is crucial in times of economic downturn. In 2011, 14 out of 15 of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) states are facing dramatic cuts in their budgets and the trend is expected to continue. Despite hard times, students and their families in the West continue to benefit from hundreds of millions of…

This article is an attempt to prepare the ground for the analysis and theorization of the connection between the body and technical devices emerging from miniaturized wearable technologies. The research object is a secular and common "body object," namely, eyeglasses. The article reviews the social history of this artifact and analyzes its…

We explored mediating concepts that affect clinical novices shifting between their talk "with" patients in eye examinations and their talk "about" patients in case presentations (nCPs). In a Canadian optometry teaching clinic, patient "chief concern or request", "illness experience", and…

Learning to counsel patients in a teaching clinic or hospital occurs in the presence of the competing agendas of patient care and student education. We wondered about the challenges that these tensions create for clinical novices learning to deliver bad news to patients. In this preliminary study, we audio-taped and transcribed the interviews of…

This study developed an interactive multimedia-based software program for Optics instruction, which was expected to overcome the imperfection of traditional optical labs. The researcher evaluated the effectiveness of the program through an experimental study that compared the learning outcomes of the students who used and did not use the software.…

Professionals in the field of low vision are increasingly concerned about the paucity of optometry students who are expressing any interest in low vision as a clinical subspecialty. Concurrent with this apparent disinterest is an increased demand for these services as the baby boomer population becomes more predisposed to age-related vision loss.…

The eyes are the most complex organs in the body. Children's eyes are still developing until they are around 8-9 years old; therefore it is important to check that they are working properly before it is too late to rectify any problems. So how do they work, and why do they sometimes go wrong? In this article, the author explains children's eye…

This resource guide provides a basic orientation to outcomes assessment for optometric educators and provides resource tools that may be useful in an assessment program. (EV)

The author traces the history of optometric vision training and its influences on academic performance and presents his views on the current controversy over the value of vision training for students with learning disabilities. He concludes with a list of approximately 50 references on the topic. (CL)

The most commonly used chart for testing eye acuity is the Snellen Chart, developed more than 100 years ago. A description is given of the way this chart works, its uses, and its limitations. (JD)

Studied the courses and topics offered at schools of optometry and the total hours devoted to managed care. Responses from the 17 schools of optometry reveal significant variations in curricular coverage of managed care, although a core set of materials was found to exist that could be the basis for more standard curriculum. (SLD)