Optometry Commons^™

A Comparative Cytotoxic Evaluation Of Acrylamide And Diacetone Acrylamide To Investigate Their Suitability For Holographic Photopolymer Formulations, Dervil Cody, Alan Casey, Izabela Naydenova, Emilia Mihaylova

Articles

The comparative cytotoxic evaluation of two monomers Diacetone Acrylamide (DA) and Acrylamide (AA), used in holographic photopolymer formulations, is reported. Two normal cell lines were used: BEAS-2B and HaCaT. Cellular viability was assessed using the MTT assay for three different exposure times. A difference of two orders of magnitude is observed in the Lethal Dose (LD50) concentrations of the two monomers. Diacetone Acrylamide exhibits a significantly lower toxicity profile in comparison to Acrylamide at all exposure times. This result justifies the replacement of Acrylamide with Diacetone Acrylamide in the photopolymer formulation, with the view to reducing occupational hazard risks for …

An Economic Analysis Of The Impact Of Refractive Error In Mozambique, Stephen Thompson

Conference Papers

Mozambique eyecare project carried out in June 2013 to estimate the socio-economic benefit of an Optometry Programme by calculating the benefits of addressing refractive error in terms of productivity gained as a result of the intervention.

Visionary Summer 2013, College Of Optometry

Visionary

No abstract provided.

The Development Of A Public Optometry System In Mozambique: A Cost Benefit Analysis, Stephen Thompson, James Loughman

Articles

The economic burden of uncorrected refractive error (URE) is thought to be high in Mozambique, largely as a consequence of the lack of resources and systems to tackle this largely avoidable problem. The Mozambique Eyecare Project (MEP) has established the first optometry training and human resource deployment initiative to address the burden of URE in Lusophone Africa. The nature of the MEP programme provides the opportunity to determine, using Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), whether investing in the establishment and delivery of a comprehensive system for optometry human resource development and public sector deployment is economically justifiable for Lusophone Africa.

Considerations In The Design Of An Eye Health Programme For Nampula, Mozambique, Aoife Phelan, Lisa O'Donoghue, Kovin Naidoo, Kathryn Saunders, James Loughman

Conference Papers

Introduction/Purpose:

There are almost twelve million children (<18 >years) in Mozambique with minimal access to eye care. [1] Annual screening of school children by teachers for uncorrected refractive error is one of the most cost effective health interventions in Sub Saharan Africa.[2] The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) has recommended that child eye health interventions be incorporated into National School Health Initiatives.[3]

In view of the IAPB position this presentation sets out to identify and discuss the main considerations in the design of a child eye health strategy, for the province of Nampula, Mozambique, which aligns itself …

Considerations In The Design Of An Eye Health Programme For Nampula, Mozambique, Aoife Phelan, Lisa O'Donoghue, Kovin Naidoo, Kathryn Saunders, James Loughman

Other

Introduction/Purpose:

There are almost twelve million children (years) in Mozambique with minimal access to eye care. [1] Annual screening of school children by teachers for uncorrected refractive error is one of the most cost effective health interventions in Sub Saharan Africa.[2] The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) has recommended that child eye health interventions be incorporated into National School Health Initiatives.[3]

In view of the IAPB position this presentation sets out to identify and discuss the main considerations in the design of a child eye health strategy, for the province of Nampula, Mozambique, which aligns itself with …

Evaluations Of Exit Competencies Of Optometrists In Mozambique, Kajal Shah, James Loughman

Other

Introduction: The appropriate education for eye health workers is a key determinant of sustainable eye health care systems, and the solution to avoidable blindness and visual impairment. The Mozambique Eye care Project (MEP), is developing the country's first indigenously trained optometrists using a competency-based education curriculum.

Aims: The principal aim is to evaluate the exit clinical competencies of the first optometry graduates in Mozambique and to inform the evaluation of the competency curriculum.

Methods: Using UK based competencies as a benchmark; nine final year students were examined to assess competences in six core subjects.Further information about factors relating to their …

Evaluations Of Exit Competencies Of Optometrists In Mozambique, Kajal Shah, James Loughman

Conference Papers

Introduction: The appropriate education for eye health workers is a key determinant of sustainable eye health care systems, and the solution to avoidable blindness and visual impairment. The Mozambique Eye care Project (MEP), is developing the country's first indigenously trained optometrists using a competency-based education curriculum.

Aims: The principal aim is to evaluate the exit clinical competencies of the first optometry graduates in Mozambique and to inform the evaluation of the competency curriculum.

Methods: Using UK based competencies as a benchmark; nine final year students were examined to assess competences in six core subjects.Further information about factors relating to their …

College Of Optometry Overview 2013, Nova Southeastern University

Health Professions Divisions Course Catalogs and Course Descriptions

No abstract provided.

Evidence Of Lower Macular Pigment Optical Density In Chronic Open Angle Glaucoma, Estera Igras, James Loughman, Matthew Ratzlaff, Ronal O'Caoimh, Colm O'Brien

Articles

Background/aims Macular pigment (MP) plays an important role in visual function and in the protection of the retina from oxidative damage. It is not known whether glaucoma, a progressive neurodegenerative disease of the optic nerve, is associated with alterations in MP. This study was designed to investigate the relationship, if any, between the optical density of MP optical density (MPOD) and glaucoma.

Methods 40 subjects (23 males, 17 females) with open angle glaucoma (mean age 69 ±11), and 54 normal controls (23 males, 31 females) without ocular disease (mean age 66 ±11), visual acuity (VA) >6/18, were recruited, and underwent …

Suitability And Repeatability Of A Photostress Recovery Test Device, The Macular Degeneration Detector (Mdd-2), For Diabetes And Diabetic Retinopathy Assessment, James Loughman, Matthew Ratzlaff, Brittany Foerg, Paul Connell

Articles

Background: Diabetic retinopathy can result in impaired photostress recovery time despite normal visual acuity and fundoscopic appearance. The Macular Degeneration Detector (MDD-2) is a novel flash photostress recovery time device. In this study, we examine the repeatability of the MDD-2 in normal and diabetic subjects. Methods: One hundred and ninety one (90 women, 101 men) subjects were recruited and divided into 1 of the 3 study groups (normal controls, n = 40; diabetes no retinopathy, n = 98; nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, n = 53). Photostress recovery time was measured three times in the study eye using the MDD-2, each measurement …

The Development Of A Public Optometry System In Mozambique: A Cost Benefit Analysis, Stephen Thompson, James Loughman

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Observations On Eye Care In Lamu, Kenya: Overlooked Needs And Proposed Interventions, Erick Henderson, Rebecca Gearhart

Scholarship

These notes draw attention to the underserved eye care needs of residents of Lamu, Kenya. They are comprised of observations that we, Rebecca Gearhart, an anthropology professor at Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) and Erick Henderson, an IWU biology and pre-optometry major and president of the Optometry Club, made while volunteering at a clinic in Lamu, Kenya during the summer of 2011. Plans to establish a temporary eye clinic emerged after Rebecca discovered that Erick was an optometric technician who might use his portable optometry lens set to fit residents of Lamu Town on Lamu Island for glasses and teach them …

Impact Of Computer Experience On The Viability And Repeatablity Of The Moorfields Motion Displacement Test In A Developing And Underserved African Setting, James Loughman, Carmen Gonzalez Alvarez, Gay Mary Verdon-Roe, Roger Anderson, Ramos Antonio Manuel, Kovin Naidoo

Articles

Background: The current study was designed to explore the effect of computer experience on the viability and testretest repeatability of the Moorfields Motion Displacement Test (MMDT), a novel computer-driven glaucoma screening device, in an African community setting. Methods: 164 healthy subjects were recruited from a semi-rural Mozambican environment, and stratified according to computer experience (computer naïve: n=85, computer familiar: n=79). A suprathreshold screening test algorithm was employed, and the global probability of true damage (GPTD), testing time (TT) and false positive (FP) response rate were recorded. The visual field test was conducted twice on the same eye, and results compared …

Relationship Between Fear Of Falling And Mobility Varies With Visual Function Among Older Adults, Orna Donoghue, Harriet Ryan, Eoin Duggan, Ciaran Finucane, George Sava, Hilary Cronin, James Loughman, Rose Anne Kenny

Articles

Aim: The present study examined the association between vision, fear of falling and fear-related activity restriction, and assessed the effect of vision on the relationship between fear of falling and mobility, using data from a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling adults aged ≥50 years. Methods: Participants (n = 5003) completed an interview and health assessment (including Timed Up-and-Go, vision and cognitive tests). Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity were assessed using an Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study logMAR chart and Functional Vision Analyzer, respectively. Participants self-reported their vision as excellent, very good, good, fair or poor. They were assigned to no …

Effects Of Nicotine On The Human Visual System: 1) Color Perception; 2) Processing At The Cortical Level, Naser T. Naser

All ETDs from UAB

The visual system is sensitive to various types of chemical substances, including nicotine. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are found in the nervous system, including the retina. These receptors play a role in modulating signals within the visual system. It has been shown that smoking affects color vision, and visual evoked potentials (VEPs). But few studies have been devoted to understanding the effects of nicotine alone. The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of oral administration of nicotine in human adults, who are non-smokers, on color vision, and visual cortical processing. Previous studies on adult smokers revealed that …

Comparisons Between Electrophysiologic Assessments Of Visual Function And Histological Findings Of Cone Photoreceptors In Light-Damaged Albino Rats, Molly Clark

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this project was to investigate the etiology of decreased cone-driven vision in the light damage model of retinal degenerations. Experimental albino rats underwent moderate, low-intensity light damage for 10 days. Electroretinography was utilized to assess physiologic function of the rod- and cone-driven retinal function in the experimental and control (sibling) rats. Immunohistochemical staining for cone arrestin antibody identified cone photoreceptors, allowing quantification of cone density and comparison to the decline in functional vision. In this experiment the light-damaged rats showed decreased rod- and cone-driven function with partial recovery of responses 30 days later. Outer nuclear layer thickness …

The Role Of Autosomal Dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa Rhodopsin Mutant Ter349glu In Rod Cell Biogenesis And Retinal Inflammation, Tj Hollingsworth

All ETDs from UAB

Retinitis pigmentosa is one of the most common inherited blinding disorders, affecting 1 in 4000 individuals world-wide. Approximately 30% of retinitis pigmentosa cases are dominantly inherited and approximately 30% of these dominant mutations are found in rhodopsin. Most rhodopsin mutations result in misfolded protein aggregates and subsequent apoptosis while others have been shown to result in apoptosis associated with mislocalization, diminished/enhanced activity, or faulty protein-protein interactions. This work serves to test for mechanisms by which the naturally-occurring Ter349Glu rhodopsin mutation causes rod cell death. Ter349Glu rhodopsin was tested for the ability to bind the ligand 11-cis retinal, photoactivate, and activate …

The Effects Of Nicotine On The Human Adult Visual Pathway And Processing, Stefanie B. Varghese

All ETDs from UAB

Nicotine, the primary addictive component found in tobacco/cigarettes, can bind to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR), which are found throughout the central nervous system including the retina of the eye. Previous studies have shown nAChR expression in the retina of non-human and human (Hutchins & Hollyfield, 1985; Liu et al., 2009). By use of electrophysiologic measures, i.e. electroretinograms (ERGs), early reports indicated that nicotine and/or cigarette smoking affects vision and visual processing in different species (Jurklies, Kaelin-Lang, & Niemeyer, 1996; Jünemann & Damaske, 1968). Because previous human studies have used only cigarette smokers, there are questions about what role nicotine, itself, …

Comparison Of Low Abundance Biomarker Levels In Capillary-Collected Non-Stimulated Tears And Washout Tears Of Aqueous-Deficient And Normal Patients, Nicole Guyette

All ETDs from UAB

Purpose: For patients suffering from aqueous-deficient dry eye, non-stimulated (NS) tear collection can be challenging and time-consuming. Adding a small volume of sterile saline to the eye allows a "washout" (WO) tear collection that takes considerably less time. The primary goal of this project was to determine if WO tear collection is a viable alternative to NS tears for comparing the levels of common ocular surface biomarkers in patients with and without aqueous-deficient dry eye (AD). Stimulated (Stim) tears were also investigated as a second possible alternative to NS tears. Methods: Two studies were conducted, tear cytokine levels being measured …