Detection of visual impairment in gerontological centres through educational innovation projects
The leading cause of visual impairment (VI) worldwide is uncorrected refractive errors (URE). The prevalence of VI increases with age, but older adults often do not seek optometric care because they assume that, in old age, it is normal to ''not see well''. Between 2017–2023, sev...
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Elsevier
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Plus |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S295030782400064X |
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| author | María Covadonga Vázquez-Sánchez Luz María Gigirey Prieto Carlos Pío del Oro-Sáez |
| author_facet | María Covadonga Vázquez-Sánchez Luz María Gigirey Prieto Carlos Pío del Oro-Sáez |
| author_sort | María Covadonga Vázquez-Sánchez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The leading cause of visual impairment (VI) worldwide is uncorrected refractive errors (URE). The prevalence of VI increases with age, but older adults often do not seek optometric care because they assume that, in old age, it is normal to ''not see well''. Between 2017–2023, several service-learning projects were developed in the city of Santiago de Compostela in which a visual care service was offered to users of gerontological centres and focused on the detection of avoidable vision loss. This study analyses the results of this service. Methodology: visual care was carried out in the collaborating centres themselves. The optometric protocol applied included: measurement of visual acuity (VA) with habitual correction and with pinhole, Hirschberg test, assessment of ocular motility, examination of pupillary size and response and biomicroscopy. Binocular VI was defined as binocular VA with standard correction < 0.5 (decimal scale). Results: a total of 242 students and 4 entities participated in the service-learning projects. 215 subjects (mean age = 80.3 ± 10 years, females = 63.7 %) completed all visual screening tests. 8.4 % had binocular VI and 41.4 % binocular VA < 0.5 in near vision. The frequency of URE reached 40.3 %. 22.2 % of the subjects with binocular VI live with URE in at least one eye. More than 40 % of the examined users have eye hygiene problems. Conclusion: the visual care service provided shows the need for visual care in a group where a significant percentage of cases of visual deficit can be solved with a simple optical correction. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5db40646eead4c30a0626b59886a6710 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2950-3078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Plus |
| spelling | doaj-art-5db40646eead4c30a0626b59886a67102024-12-13T11:09:41ZengElsevierArchives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Plus2950-30782024-12-0114100067Detection of visual impairment in gerontological centres through educational innovation projectsMaría Covadonga Vázquez-Sánchez0Luz María Gigirey Prieto1Carlos Pío del Oro-Sáez2Faculty of Optics and Optometry, Campus Vida s/n-University of Santiago de Compostela 15.782 - Santiago de Compostela A Coruña Spain; Corresponding author.Faculty of Optics and Optometry, Campus Vida s/n-University of Santiago de Compostela 15.782 - Santiago de Compostela A Coruña SpainFaculty of Economics and Business Sciences Avda. del Burgo, s/n - University of Santiago de Compostela - 15.782 - Santiago de Compostela A Coruña SpainThe leading cause of visual impairment (VI) worldwide is uncorrected refractive errors (URE). The prevalence of VI increases with age, but older adults often do not seek optometric care because they assume that, in old age, it is normal to ''not see well''. Between 2017–2023, several service-learning projects were developed in the city of Santiago de Compostela in which a visual care service was offered to users of gerontological centres and focused on the detection of avoidable vision loss. This study analyses the results of this service. Methodology: visual care was carried out in the collaborating centres themselves. The optometric protocol applied included: measurement of visual acuity (VA) with habitual correction and with pinhole, Hirschberg test, assessment of ocular motility, examination of pupillary size and response and biomicroscopy. Binocular VI was defined as binocular VA with standard correction < 0.5 (decimal scale). Results: a total of 242 students and 4 entities participated in the service-learning projects. 215 subjects (mean age = 80.3 ± 10 years, females = 63.7 %) completed all visual screening tests. 8.4 % had binocular VI and 41.4 % binocular VA < 0.5 in near vision. The frequency of URE reached 40.3 %. 22.2 % of the subjects with binocular VI live with URE in at least one eye. More than 40 % of the examined users have eye hygiene problems. Conclusion: the visual care service provided shows the need for visual care in a group where a significant percentage of cases of visual deficit can be solved with a simple optical correction.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S295030782400064XVisual impairmentScreening seniorsService-learningGerontological centres |
| spellingShingle | María Covadonga Vázquez-Sánchez Luz María Gigirey Prieto Carlos Pío del Oro-Sáez Detection of visual impairment in gerontological centres through educational innovation projects Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Plus Visual impairment Screening seniors Service-learning Gerontological centres |
| title | Detection of visual impairment in gerontological centres through educational innovation projects |
| title_full | Detection of visual impairment in gerontological centres through educational innovation projects |
| title_fullStr | Detection of visual impairment in gerontological centres through educational innovation projects |
| title_full_unstemmed | Detection of visual impairment in gerontological centres through educational innovation projects |
| title_short | Detection of visual impairment in gerontological centres through educational innovation projects |
| title_sort | detection of visual impairment in gerontological centres through educational innovation projects |
| topic | Visual impairment Screening seniors Service-learning Gerontological centres |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S295030782400064X |
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