Orthoptist

BACKGROUND: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often experience visual dysfunction that affects motor function and activities of daily living, but no 'gold standard' classification of visual function has been established. In recent years, however, a valid and reliable Visual Function Classification System (VFCS) for children with CP has been developed. AIMS: To examine the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the VFCS in individuals with CP. METHODS: The translation of the VFCS was performed according to international standards for the translation of measurements...

BACKGROUND: Telehealth interventions have become increasingly important in health care provision, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Video calls have emerged as a popular and effective method for delivering telehealth services; however, barriers limit the adoption among allied health professionals and nurses. OBJECTIVE: This review aimed to identify and map the perceived barriers to the use of video call-based telehealth interventions among allied health professionals and nurses...

BACKGROUND: Usher syndrome is the most common cause of deaf-blindness, affecting up to 1 in 6000 people. Multidisciplinary care is required to maximize outcomes for individuals and families. This study assessed awareness of Usher Syndrome amongst allied health clinicians who provide care related to the primarily affected senses of hearing and vision, ie, optometry, orthoptics and audiology. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional online survey of clinicians working in Australian university-affiliated clinics (7 optometry, 1 orthoptics and 4 audiology) was completed between September 2021 and January 2022...

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate musculoskeletal pain among eye care professionals. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted using an electronic detailed questionnaire through Google Forms. The structured questionnaire was distributed through various social media platforms targeting eye care professionals. The study included currently practicing ophthalmologists (Consultants, Specialists, Residents), optometrists, and orthoptists. Results A total of 514 eye care professionals participated in the study...

INTRODUCTION: Cerebral visual impairment (CVI) is the most common cause of visual impairment in children in the UK. Diagnosis is based on identification of visual behaviours (ViBes) relating to visual dysfunction. Examination techniques and inventories have been developed to elicit these in children with a developmental age of two years or more. The absence of a structured approach to recording visual behaviours in children with complex needs is a barrier to diagnosis. The aim of the study was to develop a matrix of visual behaviours seen in pre-verbal and pre-motor children with visual impairment and establish its content validity and inter-rater reliability...

BACKGROUND: Home visual acuity tests could ease pressure on ophthalmic services by facilitating remote review of patients. Home tests may have further utility in giving service users frequent updates of vision outcomes during therapy, identifying vision problems in an asymptomatic population, and engaging stakeholders in therapy. METHODS: Children attending outpatient clinics had visual acuity measured 3 times at the same appointment: Once by a registered orthoptist per clinical protocols, once by an orthoptist using a tablet-based visual acuity test (iSight Test Pro, Kay Pictures), and once by an unsupervised parent/carer using the tablet-based test...

BACKGROUND: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is recognized as the leading cause of vision loss in older people. Considering the phenomenon of aging societies worldwide, the prevalence of AMD is expected to increase gradually in the future. AMD can be divided into early, intermediate, and late stages, with the early and intermediate stages being mainly asymptomatic, and the late stage being classified as geographic atrophy, neovascular AMD, or both. Current pharmacological treatments for neovascular AMD include anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents, such as ranibizumab, pegaptanib, and aflibercept...

OBJECTIVES: Allied Health Professionals (AHP) consist of 13 different specialty roles in Wales, sharing the responsibility of promoting and supporting the health and well-being of the population. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a shift in care provision, with the increased use of online consultations, such as those using video consultation platforms. However, this shift was associated with uncertainty and hesitancy, and, thus, to understand the usage and reasons for using video consultations, this study aimed to capture the experiences of both AHP and their patients, while investigating each role individually...

BACKGROUND: To explore collaborative care models for paediatric eye care that integrate hospital and community-based care to address access blocks. METHODS: Sequential referrals to a tertiary paediatric ophthalmology clinic between April and October 2019 and subsequent encounters up until July 2020 at a major metropolitan public children's hospital in Sydney, Australia, were reviewed to identify those cases suitable for community care. Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted with eye health service providers, including ophthalmologists, orthoptists and optometrists, as well as service users to explore their perspectives on potential changes to service delivery...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Remote assessment of children's visual acuity became necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to assess the extent of agreement between hospital-based clinical testing and clinician-led home-based testing. SUBJECTS/METHODS: 50 children aged 2-16 (median 8) years attending hospital eye services at two UK hospitals had routine hospital-based acuities compared with subsequent online, orthoptist-supervised home visual acuities...

PURPOSE: To conduct a costing study comparing orthoptist-led with consultant-led clinics screening for optic pathway gliomas (OPGs) in children with neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) attending the Royal Children's Hospital (RCH), Melbourne. METHODS: Patients with NF1 examined in the orthoptist-led NF1 screening clinic and/or consultant-led clinics during the study period were identified. The workflow management software Q-Flow 6® provided data documenting patient's time spent with the orthoptist, nurse, and ophthalmologist...

The year 2020 has been greatly anticipated by the entire ophthalmic community. This year's Scobee lecture will be a photographic look at our past with the orthoptists and pediatric ophthalmologists we have learned from, taught, and worked with. A sobering snapshot of our present will reveal a world with extreme medical access inequality. This creates a need for an inexpensive screening device for amblyogenic anisometropia. A technique for such a fast and inexpensive screening device will be shown using first retinoscopy; and then compare the effectiveness of the direct Heine streak ophthalmoscope, a common ophthalmic instrument, will be shown to be effective in screening for ≥1 diopter of spherical anisometropia...

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of vision therapy (VT) in patients with chronic presumed refractory dry eye disease (DED) and concurrent nonstrabismic binocular vision anomalies (NSBVAs). To propose an algorithmic approach to manage patients with refractory DED. METHODS: Thirty-two patients with chronic (>1 year) presumed refractory DED and NSBVA were prospectively evaluated. The baseline dry eye evaluation and comprehensive orthoptic evaluation were done...

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy and invasiveness of manual gonioscopy and automated 360-degree gonioscopy. METHOD: Manual and automated gonioscopy were performed on 70 patients with glaucoma. Manual gonioscopy was performed by a glaucoma specialist and an ophthalmology resident, and automated gonioscopy (GS-1) was performed by orthoptists. We compared the examination time for acquiring gonioscopic images (GS-1: 16 directions; manual gonioscopy: 8 directions). Furthermore, we compared the pain and discomfort scores during the examination using the Individualized Numeric Rating Scale...

In the last two years, orthoptists have counteracted patient drop-out through visual telerehabilitation. Efforts were made to transfer the in-person visual rehabilitation setting to the telematic environment in response to the worldwide crisis. Nowadays, statistical evidence on the effects of visual telerehabilitation is still scarce. The present research is the first, in Italy, to offer a pre-post assessment of the impact of visual telerehabilitation. Twenty-four (n = 24) children (64% male, 14% monocles) aged 4 to 15 years (mean age = 9...

PURPOSE: To ascertain the use of screen tests for assessing strabismus under binocular viewing conditions by certified orthoptist colleagues around the United States of America. METHODS: A link to an online survey was distributed to all 440 registered members of the American Association of Certified Orthoptists in early 2022. A total of 135 certified orthoptists responded. RESULTS: Of the 135 respondents, 51% were from a public practice, 36% were private practice and 13% from a mixture of both...

INTRODUCTION: Neuro-ophthalmology is experiencing increasing demand. There is a lack of literature relating to how we deal with the capacity and demand issues, and the use of virtual clinics. Virtual clinics are well-recognised in other subspecialties to help deal with capacity and demand issues, with reports of non-medical-led clinics, and are supported by the National Health Services Long Term Plan and People Plan. We present a quality assurance audit of our orthoptic-led neuro-ophthalmology virtual clinic...

Amblyopia is an important public health concern. While home-based screening may present an effective solution, this has not been rigorously assessed in a systematic review. A systematic review was performed using Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, and Clinicaltrials.gov. All studies reporting the diagnostic accuracy of home-based screening tools for amblyopia among children were included. Studies involving orthoptist or ophthalmologist-led screening and adult subjects were excluded...

PURPOSE: To evaluate the utility of telemedicine in the treatment of adult patients with strabismus. METHODS: A 27-question online survey was sent to ophthalmologists of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) Adult Strabismus Committee. The questionnaire focused on the frequency of telemedicine utilization, the benefits in the diagnosis, follow-up, and treatment of adult strabismus, and barriers of current forms of remote patient visits...

Vision therapy, also known as behavioral therapy, is theorized by its practitioners to treat a variety of visual disorders, including learning disability in children. However, the utility of vision therapy to treat various learning disabilities is challenged by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, and the American Association of Certified Orthoptists. The purpose of this review is to (1) provide an overview of vision therapy, (2) evaluate the evidence for vision therapy, and (3) give practical recommendations for pediatric primary care providers regarding vision therapy...