Binocular vision was one of the subjects many struggled with when I was an undergraduate. I hope many might agree with me that this was much to do with the very theoretical and detached way it was taught. Understanding concepts such as Panum’s area and horopters was one thing, but lack of university clinic experience with children left many of us unprepared for the day we first were faced with a toddler-filled clinic sheet.
Only through experience does it become clear that binocular vision is intuitive and logical. With good communication skills, awareness of local management protocols and honesty about your own skill levels, paediatric work has to be one of the most rewarding areas of ophthalmic care. Bearing in mind the lack of a unified approach to paediatric vision screening in the UK, community optometry is in a perfect position to ensure all are screened at an age early enough to do something, and with the advent of some excellent screening tools now in use at school entry age, the time is surely ripe for a standardised approach to eye health assessment.
The series we launch today is very much practically orientated and is designed to adopt a patient-centred approach, dealing with presenting symptoms and signs – the first looks at people presenting with asthenopic symptoms, to be followed by unilateral vision loss, diplopia and manifest deviations. I hope you enjoy the novel approach.
On a completely unrelated matter, there was some interest last week in the return of two astronauts from the international space station after a prolonged period in orbit. Among the extensive health checks is a thorough assessment of the eyes and vision. 60% of astronauts have suffered some form of vision loss. The most significant cause appears to be papilloedema caused by lengthy periods in zero gravity. Planners of missions to Mars must address this.