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How can optometry become more effective in recruiting and retaining appropriate numbers of underrepresented and disadvantaged students.

The proportion of minority students in optometry schools remains very small compared to that in the general population. The numbers in the general population are rising and the gap could widen if serious recruitment programs are not implemented. The most effective methods of expanding the applicant pool and recruiting students involve personal contact with people in the profession. Admissions processes must be carefully analyzed to eliminate systematic bias. Retention programs should be in place and can also be used to benefit all students. Financial aid programs must be expanded to accommodate a higher proportion of students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Humans

Geriatric optometry questionnaire.

A national survey of American Optometric Association Low Vision Section members was conducted by the newly formed Geriatrics and Low Vision Committee during the fall of 1989. The "Geriatric Optometry Questionnaire" was designed to establish a greater understanding of the nature of comprehensive professional services for the unique needs of visually impaired older persons. Of the 481 surveys mailed, 289 were returned for a response rate of 60 percent. Seventy-eight percent of the respondents had completed their formal optometric education after 1970. Results indicated that geriatric optometric care is predominantly delivered in private practices and in low vision agencies. Approximately 69 percent of the patients are above the age of 65, with the majority of those being under 85. Although the average initial low vision appointment lasts 60-90 minutes, this generally represents the low vision examination and evaluation of low vision devices only. Complete ocular health assessments combined with low vision evaluations are provided by only 33.5 percent. While 80 percent of the optometrists responding take psychosocial histories, only 60 percent routinely refer patients for social services and rehabilitative training. Similarly, 57 percent of those responding referred patients for independent daily living skills instruction and only 53 percent for orientation and mobility training. These data suggest that optometrists have not yet completely incorporated the multidisciplinary approach to geriatric health care and that continuing education in this area is needed.

Aged

State boards of optometry requirements of CPR certification for optometric licensure.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification requirements for optometric licensure were obtained from 49 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. It was found that 17 percent of the states required CPR certification for optometric licensure while 11 percent required certification to maintain licensure. For initial Diagnostic Pharmaceutical Agents (DPA) licensing 44 percent of the boards required CPR certification while less than 25 percent required maintaining that certification to sustain DPA licensure. Of those states having Therapeutic Pharmaceutical Agents (TPA) legislation, 36 percent required CPR certification for initial licensure but only 8 percent of them required maintenance of certification for license renewal. Optometry can take the lead in health care by requiring CPR certification for all forms of licensure and license renewal.

Certification

Optometry's role in reading disabilities: resolving the controversy.

Optometry's involvement in the management of reading disabilities is often misunderstood. This paper clarifies the confusion surrounding specific reading disabilities and optometric vision therapy in the management of them. Topics include a historical review of dyslexia, theories of brain function, and a neuroanatomical model, as well as operational definitions and behavioral characteristics of the types of dyslexia. Methods for direct diagnosis of coding deficits in specific reading disability (dyslexia) are discussed. This approach explains the beneficial role of optometric vision therapy in the management of patients with reading problems.

Dyslexia

Legislation, litigation, health policy and optometry.

Significant changes in health policy have occurred during the past 25 years. Directed primarily by congressional legislation and judicial opinion, many of these changes have resulted from efforts to control costs, improve quality and increase access. Optometric parity, reimbursement reform, freedom of choice, mandated benefits, commercial speech, self-insurance, competition and peer review are some of the issues that surround many of the more recent attempts at change in the health care market. Optometry has been and will continue to be affected by changes in health policy, especially with regard to issues of cost, quality and access.

Cost Control

The United States Food and Drug Administration and the practice of optometry.

In the past decade the United States Food and Drug Administration has become increasingly involved with the regulation of materials used in the practice of optometry. It is the purpose of this paper to help the practitioner understand the FDA involvement, historically and legally, organization, how one can have input into the process, the procedures for testing and approving new drugs and devices, their regulation and the advantages and disadvantages of such control.

History, 20th Century

Quality assurance and optometry.

About 120 years ago the first attempt to determine the quality of treatment was made. Today, in the face of increased consumer awareness, third party payments for optometric care, and the advent of National Health Insurance legislations optometry must prepare itself for quality assurance programs. Specific methods are described along with the steps necessary to accomplish the needs of the profession.

Humans

The age of specialization and its future influence on optometry.

As overview of the future role of specialization in optometry is presented, and topics such as the necessity and desirability of optometric specialties, certification of specialists, referrals to specialists, training of specialists, and the impact of public opinion, governmental programs, expanded use of the optometric auxiliaries, and advances in technology on optometric specialization are examined.

Allied Health Personnel

Carel C. Koch Memorial Lecture--1977. Optometry-Ophthalmology--the future.

In looking to the future of optometry and ophthalmology, the author identifies four interacting components--the public, optometrists, ophthalmologists, and eye-health-care manpower, including opticians--which he evaluates. The interactions are discussed, and specific recommendations are made to improve relations between the two professions,

Economics, Medical

Neuro-optometry: an evolving specialty clinic.

Neuro-optometry is evolving as an optometric clinical specialty focusing on neurological dysfunctions of the visual system. Initially, we focused upon abnormalities of ocular movements, and our investigations have now broadened to include static and dynamic measurements of eye movements, accommodation, and the pupil. We feel the clinic serves three fundamental purposes: (1) to provide service to the patient, (2) to perform clinical research, and (3) to broaden the scope of the students' clinical experience. Operation of the clinic, technical methods of measurement, the testing protocol, and examples of interesting clinical recordings are described.

Accommodation, Ocular

Charles F. Prentice Memorial Lecture--1976. Optometry curriculum patterns in Europe.

The education and training of optometrists--more appropriately, ophthalmic opticians--in the western countries of the European continent differ in content and amount from that found in English-speaking countries, particularly the U. S. Current curriculum patterns for 12 European countries are presented. Formalized basic education before professional training averages 9.4 academic years; formalized course work, identified with curricula of schools of optics and optometry, averages 2.8 academic years; and required apprenticeship time averages about 2 years.

Curriculum

Optometry in Israel--a clinical externship.

In recent years, it has become the policy of optometric institutions to expand the scope of the clinical education experience beyond the geographical locale of the parent facility. This article is a presentation of the background and description of one such clinical program organized by the New England College of Optometry with the cooperation of the Department of Ophthalmology Hadassah Hebrew Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.

Contact Lenses

What should be optometry's role? How should we prepare for it?

This is a position paper which broadly states the role which, in the author's opinion, optometry should adopt as its goal and the educational environment in which we can best prepare graduates to fulfill that role. The role briefly stated, is that of first contact supplier of vision care and of certain aspects of primary health care. The appropriate educational milieu is held to be the academic health center.

Ophthalmology

National health and optometry--a survey of public attitudes.

A stratified probability sample of the Houston, Texas population was interviewed to assess public opinion of national health care and public awareness of vision care and its role in a national health care system. Over 80% of the population surveyed are in favor of a national health care bill, with a large percentage of the population favoring inclusion of vision care. Demographic trends are reported as they relate to various questions in the survey, and comparisons are made to a similar questionnaire one year earlier.

Attitude to Health