Search

Purpose: To determine what criteria are being used by glaucoma specialists to refer patients to low vision services (LVS) and to identify potential barriers to LVS referral., Methods: A survey was emailed to members of the American Glaucoma Society (AGS). The number and percentage of responses to each survey question were examined., Results: Reported criteria for referral included difficulty performing activities related to vision (78%), degree of visual field loss (63%), and difficulty with orientation and mobility (27%). Reported barriers to LVS referral included patients not expressing difficulty with activities related to vision (34%), not having enough time to counsel patients during clinic visits (32%), and perceiving that patients would not be able to afford LVS even if they were referred (31%)., Conclusions: Among glaucoma specialists, patient-reported difficulties with vision-related activities were the most common criteria used for LVS referral. Reported barriers to LVS referral, including perceived patient economic restraints and insufficient time to counsel patients during clinic visits, need to be addressed through appropriate interventions.

Purpose: To characterize visual factors among those who continue to drive and those who restrict night driving in the elderly population., Methods: The Salisbury Eye Evaluation Driving Study (SEEDS) is a study of vision, cognition, and driving behaviors of older drivers living in the greater Salisbury, Maryland, metropolitan area. Patients were recruited from listings in the Department of Motor Vehicle Administration. Data are reported from two visits conducted 2 years apart. Night driving was assessed using a real-time driving assessment tool, the Driving Monitor System. Night driving was defined by the presence of at least one episode of driving at night during a 5-day time period (seasonally adjusted). Participants also underwent a battery of cognitive and visual function testing including distance acuity, contrast sensitivity, and visual fields. Logistic regression was used to model factors associated with night driving., Results: Complete data were available for 990 of the 1080 participants (92%) attending both visits; 41% of participants were driving at night in each visit. Those who were younger (P < 0.001), male (P < 0.001), and had better measures of cognitive (P = 0.007) and visual function were observed driving at night, whereas those who were older, female, and had poorer measures of cognitive and visual function restricted their night driving behavior. An association was observed between depressive symptoms and less night driving in females (P = 0.003). In multivariate analysis, better contrast sensitivity (odds ratio [OR] 1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.36, P = 0.02) and visual field detection (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.00-1.47, P = 0.05) were associated with driving at night. Visual acuity was not found to be significantly related to night driving (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.95-1.18, P = 0.12)., Conclusions: Restricting driving at night is a multifactorial behavior that has a vision component, notably poor contrast sensitivity, and some loss of visual fields.

Purpose: Despite the benefits of vision rehabilitation services (VRS) for uveitis patients, limited literature has examined issues in VRS access within uveitis. We surveyed American Uveitis Society members regarding VRS referral practices, criteria, and barriers. Methods: Survey responses were collected from November 2022 to January 2023. Analysis summarized responses and compared response patterns of frequently-referring and infrequently-referring providers through Fisher's exact tests and logistic regression. Results: Most of the 33 respondents completed 1 to 5 monthly referrals using criteria of visual acuity loss, visual field loss, and difficulty performing vision-related activities. Key referral barriers included cost of services and insufficient patient-provider communication regarding vision loss. The practice of speaking to patients about vision loss during clinic visits was correlated with higher VRS referral rates (P = 0.047). Conclusions: Greater patient-provider communication about vision loss may represent an opportunity to increase access to VRS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]