A neuro-optometric rehabilitation case report

Jun 29 2010

The College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) has posted its current issue of Optometry & Vision Development online and invites all to read the full-text articles free of charge.

Well known and respected researcher, Dr. WC Maples, in his article Frequency and Types of Pediatric Symptoms in a Clinical Population, notes that children seen in a large optometric clinic tended to express that their most serious symptoms were related to problems in vision perception (vision information processing), binocularity (eye coordination) and accommodation (focusing). This is particularly significant since these areas readily define those who often have learning related vision disorders that can adversely affect school performance.

Clinician, Dr. Kauser Sharieff, in her article, From Braille to Quilting: A Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Case Report, takes the reader into the life of a patient who suffered an acquired brain injury and then recovered much of her quality of life with the help of optometric vision therapy.

Under the practice management section Dr. Nathan Bonilla-Warford writes in his article, Social Digital Media – A New and Powerful Way to Educate Your Patients about Optometric Vision Therapy, writes that, "Patients with visual problems continue struggling with undiagnosed and untreated vision dysfunction. This happens despite our best efforts at educating patients, community involvement and by using increasingly expensive traditional marketing tools, such as the phone book, print advertising and television/radio marketing." He goes on to inform the reader that Social Digital Media can be a major force in informing the public about the eye problems they have and how COVD members can treat these problems. Other articles by practice management experts discuss Staff Problems: Proficiency or Attitude (by Mark R. Wright, OD, FCOVD), and Doctor-Staff Relations: Don't Underestimate the Power of "Hello", (by Toni Bristol).

The editorial section features two editorials. In the first editorial, DMM Scope of Practice Data Series: Ophthalmology, Dr. Dominick M. Maino, OVD editor, offers a satirical look at the American Medical Association's Scope of Practice Series. Dr. Maino takes a serious but sardonic view and turns the tables on the AMA. Read this editorial and then express your concerns to the AMA and the doctors they serve that perhaps cooperation with other professions best serve the patient's interest.

In the second editorial, Optometric Vision Therapy: More Than Meets the Eye, Susan Barry, Ph.D., writes about her and other's journeys in gaining binocular vision (learning to see in 3D). "Changing the whole way you see the world can bring with it great joy but can also be overwhelming, confusing, and frightening," states Barry. She also writes, "We needed a place where we could express our anger against all our old doctors who had told us that our vision could not improve or that our compromised vision was 'good enough.'" If you or someone you know has difficulty watching the new 3D movies, be sure to read this editorial. It may help you understand why.

Dr. John Streff was an optometric pioneer in the area of functional and behavioral optometry. OVD celebrates and honors his lifetime of achievements.

Finally, Volume 41, Number 2 also has literature and book reviews, and the NewsMakers column to further educate and entice readers.