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PubMed1992

Present status and projected needs of the educational facilities in optometry.

Optometry is affected by political, social and economic forces. Optometric leaders must understand that the issues of health care reform, education reform and economic reform can only be met through cooperation of all professionals, educational associations, as well as individual institutions. With good management, innovative use of available funds, and development of personnel, optometry can overcome contracted revenues and prosper through this decade. However, there is no doubt that educational reform is at the doorstep of the health care professions. Optometry must strive to face its challenges now and into the remaining years of this decade.

Financial Management↗

PubMed1992

The expanding scope of optometry and the impact on the curriculum of schools and colleges.

The expansion of the profession of optometry has placed pressures on the schools and colleges of optometry to reduce traditional curricular elements, add new ones, obtain faculty trained for the new scope of the profession, and provide additional patient experiences for hands-on learning. While the schools have adapted to these pressures and are leading the profession into new areas, the traditional 4-year optometry curriculum is critically filled. Further expansion will require difficult decisions.

Curriculum↗

PubMed1989

Surveying optometry school alumni: a multifaceted approach.

Surveying alumni of a college of optometry provides vital information on the effectiveness of academic and clinical programs which prepare students for the practice of optometry and for advancement of the profession. This University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO) alumni study took a multifaceted approach, asking graduates of recent years--1984, 1985, 1986--to evaluate program areas and to tell how they practiced in the first years out. Although most young optometrists worked for someone else in the year after graduation, within 2 years, two-thirds of men and women were self-employed and located primarily in urban/suburban areas. A striking finding was the difference in type of practice entered by women and men: women far more often entered solo practice or, if employed, worked for a health maintenance organization (HMO), while men more often entered partnerships or worked for another optometrist. And, women reported much lower incomes than men regardless of type of practice. These differences merit attention, as does the familiar finding that alumni, although satisfied with their optometric training overall, rated their training in practice management most inadequate.

Education, Medical↗

PubMed1982

Screening for rubella in schools of optometry.

Rubella can cause birth defects in fetuses of pregnant women who are susceptible to this disease. Because national immunization efforts have been relatively successful, most cases of rubella occur in young adults. The School of Optometry and Jefferson County Department of Health in Alabama, and the Division of Optometry in Northeastern Oklahoma, cooperated to provide a voluntary serologic rubella screening for their students. About 9% were seronegative and were immunized against rubella. To eliminate the risk of future optometrists transmitting rubella to susceptible patients, we recommend that optometry students be screened for rubella antibodies and be provided immunization if found to be seronegative.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

The cost-effectiveness of Indian Health Service Optometry.

BACKGROUND: In this time of federal government cutbacks, federal agencies are looking at the cost effectiveness of their programs. This pilot study is a first attempt at quantifying the cost effectiveness of Indian Health Service (IHS) optometry. METHODS: Using a super bill system and the Indian Health Service's own value figures per procedure, the cost of providing optometry services at one clinic was compared with the value of the care given in terms of dollars. RESULTS: The Indian Health Service receives about $2.44 in care for each dollar spent on optometric services at the clinic studied. CONCLUSIONS: If the results found are typical of all the IHS clinics, then the optometry program saves U.S. taxpayers more than $14 million per year. Further studies at multiple IHS sites should be performed to confirm these figures.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗

PubMed1976

Survey of student research in behavioral and developmental optometry.

Behavioral and developmental optometry are in need of research. Studies conducted by optometric students can provide a major contribution. The present paper reviews selected student research studies conducted at the Illinois College of Optometry. The topics include: trends in developmental vision, phenomena in binocular vision, and techniques in diagnosis and treatment.

Adult↗

PubMed1980

Determinants of primary care optometry.

The frequency with which visual problems, ocular disease, and ocular manifestations of systemic disease are experienced in private optometric practice are the determinants of optometry as a primary care profession. This paper describes the basic optometric services provided and shows that these services identify optometry as a primary care profession. A problem-oriented clinical record indicates by color coding the presence of the conditions diagnosed. A computer number assigned to each coded condition and programmed into the system facilitates data retrieval. The color-coded charts provide ready access for review of specific conditions, whereas the computer permits analysis of data concerning the frequency of each of the identified condition.

Adult↗

PubMed1981

Characteristics of female optometry students on the SCII.

A sample of 67 female optometry students was tested on the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory (SCII). Their vocational interests were compared with those of women in 57 occupations and classified on vocational and basic interest scales. There were no interest scales in which the female optometry students scored above average, including the optometrist scale.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Optometry research. Part 3: Faculty publications.

I compared the production of faculty-produced publications among the U.S. schools and colleges of optometry and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Optometry Service. These publication rates were viewed against the schools' rankings in National Eye Institute (NEI) funding (see Part 2), student/faculty ratios, faculty salaries, and the presence of a graduate degree program. The schools and the VA grouped into three levels of publication production with five of first rank, four of middle rank, and eight of lower rank. The five leading producers in the period 1982 through 1991 were Berkeley, Alabama, Houston, VA, and State University of New York (SUNY). Since 1982 VA optometrists have authored the largest number of articles published in the Journal of the American Optometric Association and since 1985 have been the leading group of continuing education (CE) lecturers at the Academy.

Faculty↗

PubMed1994

Admission and optometry grade comparisons among students receiving different types of admission interviews.

This retrospective study examined the interview scores, admission grades, and optometry grades of students who received one of two types of admission interviews. The INDIV-BLIND group (N = 36) represented those students who had received an individual interview (i.e., one interviewer) for which the interviewer had no access to the candidate's file. The PANEL-ACCESS group (N = 21) was made up of those students who had received a panel interview (i.e., two interviewers) for which the interviewers had access to the candidate's file. The two groups were compared using two admission grades and seven optometry grades. Both t-test and Wilcoxon Score statistical procedures were used to test the null hypothesis (H0) that there were no significant grade differences (p < 0.05) between the INDIV-BLIND and PANEL-ACCESS groups. The H0 was accepted. There were no indications that the homogeneity of grades in the two groups was a function of the admission process. When the interview scores in each group were considered, Spearman Correlation Coefficients showed that the interview scores of the PANEL-ACCESS group significantly correlated (p < 0.05) with six of the academic grades such that better scores were associated with higher grades. No such correlations were found for the INDIV-BLIND group. The results were interpreted as evidence that interviewers can be unduly influenced in their scoring of the interview by the candidate's written file. The difference in skills reflected by the interview score and the clinic grade was suggested as an important factor in accounting for the lack of correlation between these two measures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Canada↗

PubMed1994

The critical difference: scope of optometry practice vs. entry level competency.

This paper proposes a survey-based approach on how optometry can define the critical difference in competency levels between entry level and experienced practitioners. The report describes the design and pilot testing of a survey instrument on clinical competencies. This work is still in an early stage, and these preliminary findings are meant to encourage other individuals to work on empirical models for defining entry level clinical competencies. The pilot study concludes that a full scale project to describe empirically the entry level competencies for optometrists is feasible and worthy of effort. The findings of a descriptive study can help gauge at an institutional or national level what is the extent and diversity of views about what constitutes entry level clinical competencies for optometry.

Clinical Competence↗

PubMed1994

Formation of the School of Optometry at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

This article traces the formation of the School of Optometry at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The research was conducted by interviewing knowledgeable persons, using the archives at The International Library, Archives and Museum of Optometry and UM-St. Louis, and using the private papers of Dr. Gordon Heath. The review covers three periods from 1968 to 1980: Initial, In-Between, and Final. An appropriation for the School was made in each period, but only the last one lead to the founding of the School. The political and educational climate of St. Louis influenced the development of the School. However, the political activism of Missouri optometrists in a receptive state legislature was the main reason for the formation of the School.

History, 20th Century↗

PubMed1995

The learning disabled optometry student: compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is an antidiscrimination law that covers those persons with handicaps who are otherwise qualified to participate in and benefit from the programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance. This article discusses the qualified handicapped applicant, especially individuals who have been identified as learning disabled, who meets the academic and technical standards requisite to admission to a school or college of optometry. The learning characteristics and handicaps that have been associated with this disability are discussed. The "reasonable accommodations" that educational institutions are expected (and not expected) to provide students are explained. Results of a survey of 15 colleges of optometry revealed that there are numerous inconsistencies in compliance with Section 504 involving reasonable accommodations in the classroom, clinic, and testing procedures involving learning disabled professional students. Recommendations to improve required services are proposed.

Persons with Disabilities↗

PubMed2002

Kansas City VAMC Optometry Residency Program: a survey of residents since 1975.

BACKGROUND: The nation's first one-year, Council on Optometric Education accredited hospital-based optometry residency program began at the Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 1975. As part of the 25th anniversary review, past residents were surveyed to determine whether the residency had met their goals and influenced their postresidency activities. This is the first in-depth study of a single residency program. METHODS: A 34-question survey was developed based on one previously used in a 1987 national study of Veterans Affairs residents. The survey was designed to provide data comparable to that found in other residency surveys. RESULTS: Forty-eight of 50 former residents responded, and at least one survey was returned for every year from 1975 through 2000. One hundred percent of residents noted that the program met or exceeded expectations in patient diversity, workload, and level of responsibility. Additionally, almost 30% of residents currently or previously held Veterans Affairs staff positions, and they have collectively published 316 papers, 33 textbook chapters, and five textbooks. CONCLUSIONS Judged by these responses, the Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center Optometry Residency Program offers an exceptional clinical training program that surpasses resident expectations. Finally, former graduates of the program have made a significant contribution to patient care and to the optometric profession as demonstrated by their clinical, academic, and research accomplishments.

Adult↗

PubMed1987

World optometry.

The International Optometric and Optical League (IOOL) sent out a questionnaire to contacts in countries across the world in order to formulate an "Optometry Profile" on as many countries as possible. The information from the 58 replies is summarized. The very varied distribution of optometric services that is revealed is discussed in the light of experience gained by the author in his own visits and correspondence relating to the worldwide situation of optometry.

Africa↗

PubMed1976

Optometry and NHI--where are we going.

The author reviews and estimates the overall trend toward some form of national health entitlement against a background of optometry's position on this issue. He summarizes how optometric services are included in most major NHI bills, and explains the relationship to NHI of the National Health Planning and Resources Development Act of 1974. Stressed are the needs for optometry to more accurately describe its own role and to continue active interest in the NHI issue.

Health Planning↗

PubMed1999

Collaborative telemedicine between optometry and ophthalmology: an initiative from the University of Houston.

The University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO) has developed a strong Telemedicine Optometry/Ophthalmology program. Patient care, clinical teaching and research benefit from utilizing Telemedicine technology. This initiative between Optometry and Ophthalmology is at the forefront of eyecare! Presented here: clinical teaching opportunities via tele-education including retinal, uveitic, neuro-ophthalmic disorders and glaucoma. Seminars introduce students to this technology and enhance their clinical experience through exposure to eye pathologies often related to systemic diseases. UHCO's affiliated clinics include multidisciplinary centers staffed by optometrists: the Frost Eye Clinic (HIV multidisciplinary care), Good Neighbor Health Clinic and Rusk School Health Promotion Project (indigent multidisciplinary care). These centers can converse on line with eyecare professionals. Large sites interested in low vision/visual rehabilitation include: The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR), the Social Security Hospital (Lima, Peru), the Matagorda General Hospital and the Quentin Mease Hospital. These sites, do offer quality care but require visual rehabilitation programs provided by UHCO. These sites also provide exposure to pathology for the students. A residency program trains optometrists in Telemedicine. The research program focuses on optics and imaging necessary to diagnose glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and neuro-ophthalmic disorders through Telemedicine. UHCO supports the advancement of standards in tele-eyecare.

Eye Diseases↗

PubMed1992

What are the appropriate skills and knowledge of reimbursement systems needed for the entry-level practice of optometry?

Health care reimbursement has increasingly become a major factor in the day-to-day practice of optometry. This paper, originally presented at the 1992 Summit on Optometric Education, outlines the various types of programs the optometrist should be familiar with, and emphasizes the importance of the integration of such knowledge into the curriculum of the schools and colleges of optometry.

Humans↗