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Communicating Educational Objectives
in an Optometry Course
Background Educational context The purpose of this study is to investigate how to communicate written course objectives within the course Visual Optics so students can be informed effectively about what they should learn. This course is offered in the first year of the four-year optometry program at the Southern California College of Optometry at […]
Choroidal Melanoma and Disclosing Bad News:
a Teaching Case Report
Background Although choroidal melanoma is the most common primary intraocular tumor, the incidence is rare with approximately six out of one million individuals diagnosed annually or approximately 1,400 new cases in the United States each year.1,2 Choroidal melanoma typically arises in Caucasians with light-colored eyes and fair skin with a propensity to burn when […]
Normotensive Glaucoma Follow-Up with Incidental Finding of Choroidal Neovascular Membrane: a Teaching Case Report
Background Normotensive glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy that follows clinical patterns of primary open-angle glaucoma in the absence of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP).1 Patients with normotensive glaucoma are typically followed at regular intervals several times per year for clinical examination of the optic nerve and for monitoring of IOP, automated visual fields and […]Influence of Participation in an Elective Course in Enhancing Perceived Critical Thinking, Independent Learning and Residency Decision-Making
Introduction The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry defines optometrists as “independent primary health care professionals for the eye.”1 The scope of optometry has expanded over the past three decades. In an increasingly digital world with an aging population, optometrists should be prepared to adequately provide eye care to a wide variety of […]Vitamin B12 Deficiency Optic Neuropathy: a Teaching Case Report
Background Vitamin B12 (also known as cobalamin) is an essential vitamin for neurological function. Vitamin B12 deficiency optic neuropathy is a rare complication of this deficiency that results in progressive, bilateral, painless vision loss that is often associated with reduced color vision and central or cecocentral scotomas. The following case report discusses the diagnosis […]Journal Bestows 2017 Writing Excellence Award
Gregory M. Fecho, OD, Jamie Althoff, OD, and Patrick Hardigan, PhD, all faculty members at NOVA Southeastern University, received the 2017 Dr. Lester Janoff Award for Writing Excellence for their research paper “Assessing Student Performance in Geometrical Optics Using Two Different Assessment Tools: Tablet and Paper,” which was published in the Fall 2016 (Volume 42, […]
The SUNY Hackathon Series:
Redesigning 21st Century Eye Care
In May and November 2016 and June 2017, approximately 50 people met to participate in three hackathons hosted by the New Technologies unit of the State University of New York College of Optometry (SUNY). The participants included SUNY Optometry faculty, other optometrists, residents, students, alumni, researchers, industry experts and other professionals. The goal of Hackathon […]
A Digital Means to an Analog End?
The previous issue of Optometric Education included a thought-provoking editorial titled “Do Students Still Need to be Proficient in Gathering Data?”1 Before I share my thoughts in response, I acknowledge that our individual experiences inform our biases and our judgments. In the years prior to joining the faculty at Western University of Health Sciences, I […]Why Tenure is Important
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) defines a tenured appointment as “an indefinite appointment that can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary circumstances … .”1 The AAUP further defines tenure as “a means to certain ends; specifically: (1) freedom of teaching and research and of extramural activities, and (2) a sufficient degree […]
