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Visual impairment. . Objectives. Leading causes of visual impairment and blindness in the U.S. How to assess a patients vision and ability to identify and properly use medications Identify strategies for assuring appropriate medication use in patients with visual impairment .
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Objectives • Leading causes of visual impairment and blindness in the U.S. • How to assess a patients vision and ability to identify and properly use medications • Identify strategies for assuring appropriate medication use in patients with visual impairment
Leading Causes of Visual Impairment • Cataracts • Glaucoma • Age-related macular degeneration • Diabetic Retinopathy
Cataracts • Clouding of the lens due to protein clumping. • Leading cause of blindness in the world and leading cause of low vision in U.S.
Cataracts • Link to animation showing cataract formation • http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/cataracts.htm
Example of what vision might be like for a person with cataracts
Glaucoma • Disease of the optic nerve that is usually associated with (but not always) increased intraocular pressure and can lead to decreased vision, blindness • Two kinds • Open-angle • Angle-closure
Glaucoma Link to animation showing flow of aqueous humor http://www.theschepens.org/eye_disease_fact_sheet.htm This picture is recreated from "Understanding and Treating Glaucoma" a Human Anatomy Board Book by Tim Peters and Company, inc. Gladstone, NJ
Example of what vision might be like for a person with glaucoma
Age-Related Macular Degeneration(ARMD) • Associated with aging and gradually destroys sharp central vision • Slow breakdown of the light-sensing cells in the macula (central part of retina that helps for central vision) • Two kinds of ARMD • Dry – 90% of patients • Wet – 10% of patients but 90% of blindness due to ARMD is from wet ARMD • ARED study
Diabetic Retinopathy • Damage occurs to the tiny blood vessels that nourish the retina. • Leading cause of blindness in the industrialized world in people ages 24 – 74
Example of what vision might be like for a person with diabetic retinopathy
Assessing a patients ability to identify and properly use medications • Ask • Introduce yourself and identify yourself • What are some counseling techniques and aids you could use to assist someone with low vision.
References • Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs, 14th Edition. • Applied Therapeutics, The Clinical Use of Drugs, 8th edition. • National Eye Institute: http://www.nei.nih.gov/ • MedicineNet.com http://www.medicinenet.com/glaucoma/article.htm • All About Vision http://www.allaboutvision.com Statistics and pictures from National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health