vol. 13 núm. 2 (2015)

<em><strong>Objective</strong><em> To assess the degree of standardization of HOTV, Snellen and ETDRS tests for distant vision, through pilot testing in children 5-15 years of age, examined in the Optometry Clinic at the Universidad de La Salle. <em><strong>Methodology</strong><em> Sample of 19 children from the Amar Center with visual acuity better than 20/400. Tests were chosen and the level of standardization for each of them was established with protocols proposed by optometrists participating in the investigation and outside of it. In the pilot study, visual acuity was measured by two examiners on three different days. HOTV test was applied in ages between 5 and 8 years Snellen and ETDRS tests were used between 5 and 15 years, for right and left eye. <em><strong>Results</strong><em> A high intra- and inter-examiner correlation was found for Snellen, HOTV and ETDRS tests. HOTV and ETDRS tests showed better performance in the pilot test for accuracy and validity. Good correlation was shown between Snellen and ETDRS test results. <em><strong>Conclusions</strong><em> The high intra- and inter-examiner correlation and good intermediate precision of HOTV, Snellen and ETDRS tests can demonstrate an appropriate level of standardization according to proposed protocols for children 5-15 years of age. Although accurate, visual acuity tests are susceptible to changes that affect their exactitude.

This article aims to describe opportunistic bacteria that cause eye infections. For this effect, a literature search was performed in various databases (PubMed, SciELO, EBSCO Medline, ProQuest, ScienceDirect and Scopus) and books. It was found that opportunistic bacteria causing eye infections are resident or transient inhabitants of the ocular microbiota: <em>Staphylococcus epidermidis, Corynebacterium</em> sp, <em>Propionibacterium</em> sp, and <em>Micrococcus</em> of the environment: <em>Enterobacter erogenes, Citrobacter, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Sphingomonas, Bradyrhizobium, Aquabacterium, Brevundimonas</em>, and <em>Bacillus</em> and of animals: <em>Francisella tularensis, Chlamydia psittacii</em>, and <em>Leptospira</em>. These bacteria cause conjunctivitis, blepharitis, dacryocystitis, endophthalmitis, cellulitis, keratitis, and uveitis in immunocompromised patients, more often than 37%. In addition, most species are multi-resistant to antimicrobials, due to which they represent a public health problem that requires the study of their habitats and their modes of transmission, as well as diagnosis and monitoring by staff of visual and ocular health.

<em><strong>Objective</strong><em> To identify whether the professional performance of graduates in optometry meets employer needs. <em><strong>Materials and methods</strong><em> The study used instruments of the National Association of Universities and Institutions of Higher Education (ANUIES), adapted for graduates and employers of optometrists. A list of graduates and information on their location was obtained from the Coordination of the department, in order to send them the survey. Employers were divided into four areas: optical shops, private clinics, eye clinics, and companies. This survey was sent by internet, and it was analyzed a month later. <em><strong>Results</strong><em> The graduates did not choose optometry as their first choice, and when they finished their studies, less than a third of them got a degree however, 90% immediately got a job in optical shops with less than fifteen employees and a salary of $10,000 (Mexican pesos) per month. Their job only consists of doing refraction and sales. Employers, although do not require, request specialized knowledge of optometrists. <em><strong>Conclusions</strong><em> In order to comprehensively treat a patient, graduates usually perform refraction, without elaborating on what they learned during their training. Optometry studies should link to companies with the purpose of engaging students in the work field. FESI and UNAM should promote courses and diploma courses in optometry so that their graduates participate in continuing education and provide better service to the population. Companies should be encouraged to hire graduates in optometry with a degree and professional license.

In most cases, the perception of a social researcher when performing fieldwork is not described in the final results of the investigation however, it is a rich source of information that allows us to identify happy moments, sorrows, satisfactions and misunderstandings generated in the experience of working with communities. Therefore, this perception is a key contribution for other workers to distinguish and recognize their own experiences. For this reason, this article aims to narrate the experiences of a field researcher: how his relationship was with the context, the actors involved in his research, and events that, in his opinion, were relevant. The data presented in the results were collected from the field journal elaborated by the author throughout his work in the province of Magdalena Center (Cundinamarca, Colombia). Accordingly, the narrative describes how the researcher is affected by contexts and subjects he interacts with and it allows us to understand that there is no fragmentation between the subject and object of research in social investigations, but there is an ongoing dialogue between them that promotes a deeper understanding of the studied phenomena.

This article seeks to understand, through an analysis of the current state of the topic, the importance of amblyopia in the comprehensive development of the individual, but with a major focus on language and its audiovisual integration. It attempts to explain the latest developments on the subject and to make them available to professionals in optometry, who for sure are the first to intervene in affected population and also, often, the last to provide rehabilitative solutions. This issue is important to optometry because, among other reasons, knowledge on the behavior of amblyopia and its effects on other qualities of human cognition can help to better understand this phenomenon, which will allow a more effective therapeutic approach.

<em><strong>Introduction</strong><em> A bibliographic research was carried out to examine the main complications that occur in the wearing of soft contact lenses. <em><strong>Objective:</strong></em> To compare complications in ocular surface in contact lens wearers regarding daily disposable soft contact lenses versus reusable soft contact lenses. <em><strong>Methodology</strong><em> By means of a review of studies published since 2010 through the meta-search engine Google Scholar, twenty articles were detected that met selection parameters. Studies published in three languages (English, Portuguese and Spanish) were analyzed, and exclusive searches were conducted in each language. <em><strong>Results</strong><em> The content of the studies was classified into three main parameters, which serve as comparative elements between daily disposable soft contact lenses and reusable soft contact lenses: a) handling, maintenance and storage b) useful life of lenses and c) biocompatibility. <em><strong>Conclusions</strong><em> According to these studies, the main problems associated with the use of soft contact lenses may be due to poor handling and hygiene of both lenses and their accessories, and to the use of cleaning solutions. Regarding these aspects, daily disposable soft contact lenses present some advantages, besides the factor of useful life. As for biocompatibility, both types of contact lenses showed the same characteristics and potential complications.

Although there have been notable advances in contact lenses, failure to comply with use schedules, changing times and care regimes is a significant problem in a wide range of users. Many eye care professionals associate the compliance with the rules of proper contact lens use with cultural elements however, it is important to ask whether this situation is really due to cultural factors or it has more to do with the education professionals give to users. This study is a qualitative research based on information review on the behavior of contact lens users, especially regarding their compliance with rules and instructions for use. The purpose is to identify what are the main aspects that influence the management of this type of lenses, to review the form and content of how patients are educated and trained, and to find appropriate tools to improve the practice of visual health professionals. Contactology has evolved, and specialization is now a reality however, this development sometimes omits significant basic aspects such as patient education and monitoring. This is an important issue, since an informed patient with an adequate accompaniment is a healthier patient with a better quality of life.

Pterygium is a fibrovascular injury of the inflamed conjunctival tissue that grows over the cornea in a triangular shape. It is explained by the deterioration and deletion of stem cells, which are involved in the regeneration of corneal epithelium but this proliferation is interrupted and inhibited by a hyperplasia of the conjunctival tissue. These findings share many characteristics with tumors and neoplasms, such as genetic alteration, fibroblast proliferation, inflammation, vascularization, invasion and recurrence after resection, which may coexist with secondary premalignant lesions and become hyperplasia, metaplasia, dysplasia, and, in the worst case, carcinoma. Tendency to malignity over the ocular surface usually occurs in the transition zone between the corneal and conjunctival epithelium. This transition zone is a vascular region in which stem cells are generated, which are responsible for the proliferation, self-maintenance and production of a large number of differentiated daughter cells. Therefore, it has been proposed that tumors can result from preexisting lesions such as pterygium. Similar clinical symptoms can generate differential diagnoses such as inflammation, degeneration and tumors. Clinical distinction, especially in areas with high exposure to ultraviolet radiation, can be difficult because they have similar presentation and location. Definitive diagnosis will be confirmed through histopathological examination of the conjunctival tissue.

Health service in Colombia has been continually transformed through various models and institutional changes, which deserves considerable and important analysis. Although, at least in theory, these models have sought to improve the quality of service delivery from different approaches, and according to the identified needs in the implementation period, it is clear that, historically, Colombians do not perceive service delivery as efficient. It is therefore necessary to identify both internal and external shortcomings in service delivery with the purpose of establishing an opinion about its future.

Today, social responsibility is a topic of great interest to many companies, due to the benefits it generates. It can be approached from moral, ethical, economic or social objectives. If universities become companies, then it is valid to consider that they use actions of corporate social responsibility as a competitiveness strategy to improve their position and reputation in the field. In the case of optometry, conceived as a discipline within health sciences, fundamentation and projection of work practice are indisputable work practice, directed towards companies, cannot be distant from social objectives as they can transform the environment, not only due to competitiveness and excellence in services, but also due to the impact of human actions. Therefore, this article reflects on social considerations regarding the business projection of optometry.