1995 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Assessment of residual visual funciton and rehabilitation of visulally disabled persons in daily livin
Project/Area Number |
06671784
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Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
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Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
Research Field |
Ophthalmology
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Research Institution | Kawasaki Medical School |
Principal Investigator |
TABUCHI Akio Kawasaki Medical School, Ophthalmology, Professor, 医学部, 教授 (90122431)
|
Project Period (FY) |
1994 – 1995
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Keywords | Visually disabled person / Visually disabled children / Partially sighted / Ophthalmic rehabilitation / Low vison clinic / Visual aids / Eye movements on reading / Eye movements on walking |
Research Abstract |
According to the Japanese government, more than 353,000 persons were registered as visually disabled in 1991. Moreover, the number of aged and non-registered persons who should undergo an early ophthalmic rehabilitation is rapidly increasing. First of all, we investigated that how those visually disabled persons (VDP) were in daily living, and what they wanted to do. In the Ophthalmic Rehabilitation Clinic (ORC) of the Hospital of Kawasaki Medical School, ophthalmologists, orthoptists and an ophthalmic social worker made a general assessment of the VDP with regard to their residual visual function, the possibility of using visual aids, walking and ADL condition, and social and environmental status. For the low vision patients, we studied their eye movements when they read some sentences with a magnifying television (CCTV) for reading, and also we recorded their eye movements when they walked on the street. For the eye movements when reading sentences of a book, more times of "pause", which indicated to read some words as a block, were shown in the VDP with low visual acuity as well as with small visual field than that in normal persons. When reading with the CCTV,a larger optokinetic nystagmus was seen in the VDP.These findings suggests that we have to guide the VDP not to make asthenopia by training of a good eye-hand coordination. For the eye movements when walking on the street, however, the number of the eye movements were lesser in the more severe VDP,which indicated that it was very dangerous sapce for walking within the VDP's height. It is suggested that we should develope a certain sensor using the other sensory organs ; auditory, skin touch and smell.
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Research Products
(8 results)