Optometry is becoming more and more interdisciplinary and gives new opportunities for collaborative research due to the accumulative complexity of knowledge and the rapid transformation of the technological capabilities in domains such as information technology, optics, applied engineering, health sciences, and entrepreneurship and management.…

Specific learning disabilities affect the brain's ability to process verbal and non-verbal information efficiently and accurately. The most common learning disability is reading disability which includes dyslexia. Evidence supports that dyslexia is a language-based disorder. The core deficit of dyslexia is the phonological component of language…

A growing understanding of twice-exceptional (2e) students has caused many to consider the possibility of misdiagnosis and missed diagnoses in the gifted student. Despite this, auditory processing disorders (APD) and vision processing disorders (VPD) are seldom examined in the 2e research literature, yet are not uncommon in the 2e population.…

The burden of childhood visual impairment and disparities in access to pediatric vision care remain pressing issues in the United States. School-based vision programs (SBVPs) serve as one approach to advancing health equity. Operating at the intersection of schools and healthcare, SBVPs can increase access to pediatric vision services, improve…

From 2003-2007 at the New England College of Optometry, the Integrative Seminar Course (ISC) was used to facilitate students' learning of clinical reasoning. To examine students' perceptions and experiences regarding their learning, an end-of-year Likert-style survey was administered to 96 first-year students after completion of the ISC. Analysis…

We explored mediating concepts that affect clinical novices shifting between their talk "with" patients in eye examinations and their talk "about" patients in case presentations (nCPs). In a Canadian optometry teaching clinic, patient "chief concern or request", "illness experience", and…

Analyzes student loan debt at the University of Missouri-St. Louis School of Optometry, showing the need for a comprehensive debt management program. Presents a model for determining manageable amounts of student loan debt developed from conventional lending criteria and data on earnings for optometrists. (EV)

Because a number of vision conditions have psychological components and some psychological conditions may be complicated by vision difficulties, interdisciplinary cooperation between clinical psychology and optometry should prove fruitful for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of health problems. (EVL)

Some insights from cognitive science that can be applied to professional education, particularly those relating to sources of dissonance in the traditional, linear educational model, are examined. They concern primarily the availability of information for clinical thinking and problem solving. Curricular structures facilitating implementation of…

Reports data from three consecutive classes of first- year optometry students at the Southern California College of Optometry, who were tested preceding and following completion of a patient communication course. Findings indicated that students improved their ability to respond to patients and were better able to discriminate among various levels…

A mechanism for using personal computer spreadsheet software to generate unique laboratory and problem assignments in optics for each student and provide corresponding solutions that can be checked quickly is described. The method minimizes some students' tendency to inspect others' solutions without solving problems themselves. Another…

Describes the innovative content and structure of an introductory course on clinical patient care at the Illinois College of Optometry. Critiques its success based on student grades and feedback, concluding that it was successful in imparting skills of data analysis but had minimal impact on students' ability to empathize with patients. (EV)

Team teaching can be successfully used in first-year optometry. Conditions for success include a strong coordinator, mutual respect and participation of team members, and agreement about course philosophy, goals, and objectives. If organized well, a team-taught course offers consistency and integrity of topical areas and conceptual continuity.…

Methods for reevaluating student admission, clinical preparation, and clinical performance evaluation in optometric education are suggested. (MSE)

A study evaluated the use of the Kolb Learning Styles Inventory as a predictor of academic potential, for use in recruitment of optometry students. Although distinctive learning preferences were observed in low- and high-achieving students, correlations were not strong enough for predictive use. (Author/MSE)