Saturday allied health services for geriatric evaluation and management: A controlled before-and-after trial.

Objective: To assess the effect of Saturday allied health services on a geriatric evaluation and management ward.

Methods: A controlled before-and-after trial at two wards. Allied health services were added to usual weekday staffing on Saturdays for 6 months on the experimental ward.

Are standard instruments valid for the assessment of quality of life and symptoms in glaucoma?

Purpose: To determine if the impact of Visual Impairment Instrument (IVI) and Glaucoma Symptom Scale (GSS) are valid instruments to assess participation in daily living and ophthalmic complaints, respectively, in a glaucoma population.

Methods: Patients with glaucoma were recruited from private and public clinics and completed the IVI and GSS questionnaires. The two scales were assessed for fit to the Rasch model.

Rapid and cost-effective method to assess vision disorders in a population.

Purpose: The aim was to develop a means of rapidly assessing eye health in a cost- and time-effective way to monitor changes over time.

Methods: Key features of the five main eye diseases that cause vision loss in Australia were assessed. Participation was volunteer-based from randomly selected Melbourne suburbs.

Utilization of eye care services in Victoria.

Purpose: To determine baseline eye care utilization by older Victorians in order to assess change in 2 years after an eye health promotion campaign.

Methods: A letter of invitation to participate was sent to all people aged 70-79 years in randomly selected Melbourne postcode areas. A questionnaire was designed to allow gathering of eye health-related information.

Evaluation of an eye health program: the vision initiative.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop an innovative, rapid and economical assessment methodology to determine the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours regarding eye health and to determine the rates of the most common causes of visual impairment and undiagnosed eye disease.

Methods: Letters were posted to Seniors Card holders aged 70-79 in 18 randomly selected areas, stratified by socio-economic status. A questionnaire was developed to measure knowledge, attitudes and behaviours regarding eye health.

The agreement between the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph and a digital nonmydriatic retinal camera in assessing area cup-to-disc ratio.

Purpose: To determine the repeatability and agreement between a digital camera (monoscopic and stereoscopic images) and the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph (HRT; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) in determining cup-to-disc ratio. A secondary purpose was to determine the monoscopic and stereoscopic thresholds that maximize specificity and sensitivity when compared with the HRT.

Methods: Community living participants aged between 70 and 79 years had their optic discs imaged with a digital nonmydriatic retinal camera (NMRC) and the HRT.

Assessment of optic disc cupping with digital fundus photographs.

Purpose: To determine the agreement between the assessment of retinal digital images by using an overlay transparency sheet and the Heidelberg retinal tomograph (HRT) in determining cup-disk ratios greater than 0.6.

Design: Diagnostic test comparison.

Detecting cataract causing visual impairment using a nonmydriatic fundus camera.

Purpose: To assess the validity of a digital nonmydriatic fundus camera in detecting cataract as a cause of visual impairment.

Design: Diagnostic test comparison.

Methods: Photos of the anterior segment of 72 eyes were taken with a nonmydriatic fundus camera and assessed for cataract by two graders.