Trust and Access: Eye Information-seeking Practices and Preferences among Canadians.

SIGNIFICANCE: This study highlights the value that the public places on obtaining trusted and accessible health-related information and their preference for obtaining it from their health care practitioners. Previous research has not been specific to Canadians or vision. Findings can be used to increase eye health literacy and eye care utilization. PURPOSE: Canadians underuse eye care and underestimate the occurrence of asymptomatic eye disease. This study explored eye information-seeking practices and preferences among a group of Canadians. METHODS: Using snowball sampling, a 28-item online survey collected respondent perceptions about their eye and health information-seeking practices and preferences. Questions examined electronic device access, information source use, and demographics. Two open-ended questions examined information-seeking practices and preferences. Respondents were at least 18 years old and living in Canada. Individuals working in eye care were excluded. Response frequencies and z scores were computed. Written comments were assessed using content analysis. RESULTS: Respondents searched for less eye than health information ( z scores ≥ 2.25, P < .05). For eye and health information, primary care providers were the used and preferred source, and reliance on Internet searches was greater than desired. Trust and access drove information-seeking practices. Respondent comments suggested that a hierarchy of trust operates across My Health Team, My Network, and My External Sources, with a persistent threat posed by Discredited Sources. Access to information sources seemed mediated by enablers (Convenience and Accessible Features) and barriers (Unreachable Health Team and Absent Systems). Eye information was seen as more specialized and harder to find. There was a high regard for health care practitioners who provide their patients with curated trusted information. CONCLUSIONS: These Canadians value trusted and accessible health-related information. They prefer eye and health information from their health care practitioners and value when their health team provides online curated information, particularly regarding eyes.

Kinematic Assessment of Fine Motor Skills in Children: Comparison of a Kinematic Approach and a Standardized Test.

Deficits in fine motor skills have been reported in some children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as amblyopia or strabismus. Therefore, monitoring the development of motor skills and any potential improvement due to therapy is an important clinical goal. The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of performing a kinematic assessment within an optometric setting using inexpensive, portable, off-the-shelf equipment. The study also assessed whether kinematic data could enhance the information provided by a routine motor function screening test (the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, MABC). Using the MABC-2, upper limb dexterity was measured in a cohort of 47 typically developing children (7-15 years old), and the Leap motion capture system was used to record hand kinematics while children performed a bead-threading task. Two children with a history of amblyopia were also tested to explore the utility of a kinematic assessment in a clinical population. For the typically developing children, visual acuity and stereoacuity were within the normal range; however, the average standardized MABC-2 scores were lower than published norms. Comparing MABC-2 and kinematic measures in the two children with amblyopia revealed that both assessments provide convergent results and revealed deficits in fine motor control. In conclusion, kinematic assessment can augment standardized tests of fine motor skills in an optometric setting and may be useful for measuring visuomotor function and monitoring treatment outcomes in children with binocular vision anomalies.

Status of Vision and Eye Care Among Patients in Rehabilitation Hospital Units: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of vision disorders is high among geriatric and hospital inpatient populations, yet they often go undetected, resulting in consequences such as falls or prolonged recovery time. A needs assessment study was conducted to investigate levels of vision and the potential prevalence of unmanaged/undiagnosed ocular disorders among adult inpatients in a hospital-based rehabilitation unit. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Inpatient rehabilitation units of an acute care hospital system in Ontario, Canada. Adults (n = 112) in a hospital inpatient rehabilitation unit participated from October 2018 to February 2019. METHODS: Participants were surveyed regarding their demographic, ocular, and medical data and spectacle wear. Visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, visual fields, and stereoacuity plus the spectacle condition were directly assessed. RESULTS: The majority (75%) were found to have reduced habitual vision while in hospital. Nearly 60% of participants reported at least some difficulty reading a newspaper or distinguishing a face or were "not happy with their vision." This was despite 80% of participants reporting that they had an eye care practitioner and 70% that they had an eye examination within the last 2 years. More than half (51.8%) of the participants received the recommendation to follow up with their eye care practitioner on discharge from the hospital. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Reduced vision and vision disorders has a high prevalence among hospital patients in rehabilitation units and should be evaluated at or soon after hospital intake. By incorporating vision screening tools, necessary precautions may be taken to avoid possible falls and promote recovery.