
doi: 10.3129/i08-065
pmid: 18711453
Demographic changes likely to occur in the near future and the need for planning to address them are behind the urgent drive to assess present-day provision and utilization of low-vision rehabilitation (LVR) services in the community. Perhaps even more important is the assessment of supporting research work in this field of health care. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to investigate the current involvement of researchers in Canada in the elucidation of the LVR sciences.A PubMed search of the MEDLINE database was performed. Publications were identified according to preset criteria and search key words pertinent to various aspects of LVR sciences. Data were collected on the corresponding authors and their affiliations, type of journal and type of study performed, and reported outcome measures.Approximately 1500 papers were reviewed, and 131 that met the preset criteria were included in the study. Medical doctors published most papers (48.1%), followed by optometrists, those with PhDs, occupational therapists, and others; most of the papers (44.3%) were published in ophthalmology journals. Research was performed mainly at Canadian universities (84%), and the findings were published in the last 3 decades. The studies largely concentrated on rehabilitation services and other aspects of vision rehabilitation (55%), whereas studies focusing on the evaluation of tools used for assessment of either visual functions or functional vision were in the minority (45%).The majority of research activity in Canada is university based and involves the medical profession in a leading role, thus affording LVR the appropriate medium for promotion and development of a multidisciplinary approach to outstanding research issues. Only a fraction of current research in LVR (12.2%) deals with outcome measures of the therapeutic interventions aimed at restoring functional vision.
Academic Medical Centers, Canada, Biomedical Research, Databases, Factual, MEDLINE, Publications, Vision, Low, Ophthalmology, Humans, Health Services Research, Optometry
Academic Medical Centers, Canada, Biomedical Research, Databases, Factual, MEDLINE, Publications, Vision, Low, Ophthalmology, Humans, Health Services Research, Optometry
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 7 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Top 10% | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
