Book chapter
Screening for Visual Acuity, Visual Efficiency, and Visual Information Processing Problems
Understanding and Managing Vision Deficitis, pp 95-117
2011
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
In the first five chapters, I have tried to establish the importance of vision and the various ways in which vision can possibly interfere with occupational therapy progress. It is critical that an occupational therapist be aware of the characteristics of the visual system of any patient he or she is treating. Ideally, this information should be readily available before treatment begins. In most cases, however, no information or very limited information will be available. In a school system, the child may have been screened in the past by the school nurse. School screenings generally consist of only a test to screen for visual acuity problems, myopia, and high degrees of hyperopia and astigmatism. Early day care centers will often have medical records available that may include a screening performed by the pediatrician. This will most often consist of only an evaluation of eye health. In a hospital setting, an ophthalmological consultation may occur before the occupational therapist treats a patient. Even if this has been done, it is very likely that the only aspects of the visual system that will have been tested will be visual acuity, refractive error, and eye health. Very little attention is paid to binocular vision, accommodation, eye movements, and visual fields in acute care or rehabilitation hospitals.
1-4
Gianutsos,
2
a well-respected researcher and clinician in the area of rehabilitation of acquired brain injury, states:
Generally, after brain injury, the visual system is not comprehensively evaluated, sometimes because there is a lack of articulated complaints due to impaired subjective
experience or reduced cognition. Visual system evaluations are frequently neglected. Often referrals, if they are made at all, are made to ophthalmologists, reflecting the medical orientation of the delivery system. Ophthalmologists, however,
are primarily concerned with the physiologic health of the eye. Important as this is for the survivor of brain trauma, further issues of concern for visual information processing pertain to the function of the full visual system.
Table 6-1
Questions to Ask the Eye Doctor Before Referring a Patient
Do you have experience working with learning disabled children?
Do you have experience working with developmentally delayed, multiply handicapped, autistic, and physically impaired children?
Do you have experience working with patients with acquired brain injury?
Do you test accommodative amplitude and facility?
Do you evaluate fusional vergence amplitude and facility?
Do you evaluate visual information processing skills?
Do you offer vision therapy as a service in your practice?
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Details
- Title
- Screening for Visual Acuity, Visual Efficiency, and Visual Information Processing Problems
- Creators
- Mitchell Scheiman
- Publication Details
- Understanding and Managing Vision Deficitis, pp 95-117
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Edition
- 3
- Number of pages
- 23
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000288483300006
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85199114171
- Other Identifier
- 991021901713404721
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InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Web of Science research areas
- Ophthalmology
- Public, Environmental & Occupational Health