Alumni News

by Heather Giampapa, Director, Alumni Relations

The Salus University Alumni Association has selected Jeffrey L. Weaver, O.D. ’85, FAAO, FACHE as the 2010 PCO Albert Fitch Memorial Alumnus of the Year.

Dr. Weaver was recently named the Executive Director of the American Board of Optometry. Previously, Dr. Weaver was the Director of the Clinical Care Group of the American Optometric Association, where he advised members, the media and the public on clinical matters of the profession.

A colonel in the US Army Reserve, Dr. Weaver serves as the Reserve’s Chief of Optometry and is the Reserve Optometry Consultant to the Surgeon General of the United States.

An adjunct professor who teaches a course on Environmental Vision at the University of Missouri - St. Louis, Dr. Weaver also teaches in the Primary Care Clinic. He is a Diplomate in Public Health and Environmental Vision of the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO) and is Board Certified in Healthcare Management as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).

He also coordinated numerous activities of the AOA, including the Commission on Ophthalmic Standards and its AOA Seal of Acceptance program, and the Clinical Guidelines Coordinating Committee. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Missouri Optometric Association.

Dr. Weaver will be honored at the Alumni Reunion Celebration on Saturday, May 1. Congratulations to Dr. Weaver – an exceptional talent in his field whom we are honored to have as a PCO alumnus.

The most common clinical measurement of visual function is visual acuity, measured by means of a Snellen chart.  Recently, its use has been expanded not only to measure visual acuity, but also to measure the progress of disease or the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. In a test-retest mode however, the main difficulty with a Snellen chart is the lack of a precise scoring system. Traditional line-by-line scoring typically requires only that 50-80% of the letters in a line be identified correctly in order to score a successful reading of the entire line. Thus, the variability in line-by-line scoring is inherently high.  When letter-by-letter scoring (which inherently has a lower variability) is used, test-retest visual acuity measurements are known to be - up to a factor of two - more precise.

We have developed a unique method of scoring Snellen chart responses through the use of LogMAR transformations that account for each letter read. The final, cumulative letter-by-letter LogMAR value is converted into an effective Snellen fraction. The mathematical processes are embedded in an EXCEL-based tool and are transparent to the practicing clinician. This letter-by-letter, LogMAR-based, scoring tool is available from this web site. In addition, the tool has a similar ETDRS spread sheet for those who use ETDRS charts.

We have designed this tool for clinicians, who are untrained in LogMAR use, so that they can: 1) apply these visual acuity data as a refined diagnostic tool, 2) assess progression of eye disease, or 3) quantify the efficacy of treatment of certain pathological eye conditions with greater precision.  Potentially, this tool has broad applications for clinicians who, for a variety of reasons, have been hesitant to incorporate LogMAR principles into their clinical patient databases. Moreover, this tool has possible beneficial medico-legal implications. It could protect clinicians who are struggling to quantify visual performance in a manner that is: a) subtle enough to have scientific credibility, b) sufficiently established to supply a defensible metric acceptable to scientists worldwide, and c) robust enough to stand up in courts of law.

Instructions to Download, Customize & Use the Effective Snellen Chart.

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• Sunday, 18 April 2010
  The Joseph C. Toland Excellence in Education Conference
  Six hours of quality continuing education. To register >>
• April 28 - May 2, 2010
  The American Academy of Optometry - New Jersey Chapter presents:
  The 8th Annual Educational Conference - Details >>