Assessing Eye Sight and Ocular Health: The Practical work of optometrists
Lead Research Organisation:
King's College London
Department Name: Management
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Organisations
Publications
Vom Lehn, D.
(2010)
Assessing "visual acuity" : the practical work of sight assessments
Vom Lehn, D.
(2012)
Assessing distance vision: optometrists at work
Dirk Vom Lehn (Author)
(2011)
Enabling seeing together : embodying perspective in looking at works of art
Webb H
(2013)
Engendering Response: Professional Gesture and the Assessment of Eyesight in Optometry Consultations
in Symbolic Interaction
Helena Webb (Author)
(2010)
How body movement and gaze can shape the consultation
Helena Webb (Author)
(2010)
Managing emotional response in eye examinations
Helena Webb (Author)
(2011)
Managing tests and test performance in eye examinations
Gibson W
(2011)
Re-constituting social praxis: an ethnomethodological analysis of video data in optometry consultations
in International Journal of Social Research Methodology
Description | 1) Presenting problems and difficulties Optometrists invite clients to present problems and difficulties with their eyes at the start of the consultation and the information reported is consequential to the encounter. We observe that: - questions from the optometrist orient both to the existence of problems and the reasons for the client's visit; - in response clients appear to experience difficulties distinguishing between problematic changes with their eyes and expected 'normal deterioration'; - clients also attend to normative issues around the appropriate status of the consultation; - optometrists use follow-up questions to pursue relevant information and so treat clients' answers as possibly incomplete. 2) Testing vision and assessing performance After openings, the consultation proceeds through a series of tests and checks: - optometrists initiate, organise and assess testing through their vocal and visible actions; - responses by clients provide a resource for the optometrist to determine how to proceed with the remainder of the test; - clients frequently display a desire to do 'well' in tests and comment on their own performance; - optometrists produce assessments at the end of tests and at transitionary points during them. Whilst end of test assessments refer to the quality of the client's result, transitionary ones respond to displays of difficulty and effort, ameliorating the consequences of 'failure'. 3) The various consultation tests involve the deployment of tools and technologies: - different tools and technologies have alternative consequences for interaction, particularly where opportunities for eye contact are increased/decreased; - the visible actions through which tools/technologies are positioned relative to the client are frequently highly distinctive. They function to help establish the test environment and provide time for the client to prepare for the upcoming test whilst displaying sensitivity towards 'personal space'; - instruction-giving is closely coupled with the placement of tools/technologies. This coupling prompts the type of response required from the client, enabling the production of test results. 4) The professional status of the optometrist becomes visible through various consultation practices, including; - the use of follow-up questions to pursue potential client problems; - the construction of key optometric distinctions using terminology accessible to the client; - the deployment of gestures - for instance in the placement of tools/technologies - that are consistently distinctive and functional but also sensitive to arising difficulties; - sensitivity to contingencies in the consultation, including spatial organisation and client actions and reactions. 5) Video recordings can be highly beneficial to optometric training and professional development, providing a resource for consideration of key issues such as; - the layout of the consultation room; - optometrist-client interaction, for instance in relation to instruction giving and eye contact; - the alternative use of paper and electronic records; - the deployment of tools and technologies, in particular the use of advanced, automated equipment. Our findings point to the potential for future research, in particular to look at: - Optometric training and the development of both formal and tact knowledge; - The transformation of optometric technical and professional practice through the development of new examination technologies. |
Exploitation Route | The findings are relevant for communication training in optometry and the health services more generally. |
Sectors | Education Healthcare |
Description | The findings have been used by teachers and trainers of communication skills in optometry. Some of our collaborators have begun to use video in the teaching of communication skills in optometry. Also, we have used the findings to write a successful application for an ESRC Knowledge Exchange project. The KE project run between 2013 and 2014 |
First Year Of Impact | 2012 |
Sector | Education |
Impact Types | Cultural Societal |
Title | Video-based Research Methods |
Description | Video-recording are used as primary data to study social action and interaction. |
Type Of Material | Biological samples |
Year Produced | 2012 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Since 2012 we have shown optometric practitioners and teachers of communication skills in optometry how they can use video to reflect on their practice. |
Description | Engendering response : professional gesture and the assessment of eyesight in optometry consultations |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | Presentation at Microsoft Research Cambridge as part of day long seminar on 'Social Interactions in Medical Settings' The participants approached the speaker for further information about the project and its relevance for healthcare practitioners |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
Description | Professional gesture in optometry : a case study of video-based field studies |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The Work, Interaction and Technology Research Centre at King's College London is a centre of excellence in video-based field studies that illuminate the ways in which workplace activities are accomplished through socially organised interactions involving vocal, bodily and material actions. This paper provides a case study of analysis undertaken as part of a recent video- based study of optometry. It describes the processes through which data collection, analysis and dissemination were conducted. In doing so it demonstrates the methodological, conceptual and practical benefits of this kind of approach. The workshops were very interested in participating in the research and in learning more about communication skills in optometry. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008,2011 |