Visual function assessment of diagnostic radiography students

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology and Vision Science
• Radiography Education
• Public Health

Background:

• Visual acuity (VA) deterioration is linked to aging, gender, and socioeconomic status.
• Assessing visual functional abilities is crucial for diagnostic radiography students.
• The International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps (ICIDH) provides a framework for functional VA screening.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the visual functional abilities of first-year diagnostic radiography students.
• To apply ICIDH recommendations for functional VA screening.
• To evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in relation to visual function.

Main Methods:

• Utilized World Health Organisation (WHO) electronic VA testing (LogMAR and Snellen charts).
• Administered a health-related quality of life (HRQOL) questionnaire.
• Correlated data with visual correction, age, gender, and socioeconomic background.

Main Results:

• 100% of students met or exceeded normal binocular vision standards.
• Monocular vision: 74% right eye, 80% left eye achieved normal levels.
• No significant impact of visual correction, gender, or socioeconomic background on VA was found; HRQOL indicated no functional VA issues.

Conclusions:

• Student radiographers' visual function aligns with normal (near-normal) VA standards.
• No identified risk factors within the sample group that would impact clinical placement.
• Further studies are recommended due to sample limitations for generalizability.