Impact of COVID-19 on Indian optometrists: A student, educator, and practitioner's perspective.

PURPOSE: The optometry profession has experienced massive changes amid lockdown in COVID 19 pandemic. This study gauges the impact of COVID-19 on optometry education and practices in India. METHODS: The impact of COVID-19 among key stakeholders of Indian optometry that included educators, students, and practitioners was surveyed. The content validity of the survey tool was achieved through a focused group discussion with experts. RESULTS: Of the 1408 responses, 118 were educators, 845 were students and 445 were practitioners. Post COVID-19 lock-down, a high percentage of students (96%) and educators (94%) were now using online mode of education to learn and teach. The blended learning methods were reported to be used by 81% of educators. Practical skills were the most difficult to teach by educators and to learn by students. Almost a third of the students were concerned about their internships and job opportunities amid the pandemic. Practitioners felt confident in performing routine eye examinations with personal protective equipment (PPE). Telemedicine was found to be adopted by 55% of the private practitioners and 49% of the eye hospitals. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has provided an opportunity to reform Indian optometry education through blended learning methods. Optometry practices changed and adapted instantly to the new hygiene norms that have raised the standard of care provided to patients. Telemedicine emerged as a mode of providing care by optometrists. Overall, all key stakeholders of optometry in India were found to have adapted well to the sudden changes due to COVID 19 pandemic.

Contact lens education for the practitioners of the future.

The World Health Organization has identified a shortage of trained human resources as one of the greatest challenges to increasing the availability of eye care services and reducing preventable visual impairment around the world. Increased prevalence of myopia and new strategies for myopia management have raised the prospect of various interventions, including contact lenses for therapeutic use as well as for refractive correction. More personnel skilled in contact lens fitting will be needed to address potential worldwide demand for these interventions. This review investigates the current status and future requirements of global contact lens education in light of these developments. The COVD-19 pandemic led educational institutions worldwide to move towards online delivery. An online survey among 546 educators, conducted in May 2020, investigated changes to contact lens education delivery before and after the onset of the pandemic. A total of 214 responses were received from 32 countries. Prior to COVID-19 restrictions, 23% of educators had conducted more than 50% of their total teaching online; however, 69% expected to conduct more than half of their teaching online by the end of 2020 and 12% anticipated 90% or more of their teaching would be online. Some 76% of educators expected to provide more online lectures after the pandemic and 63% anticipated new methods to deliver practical education. Around half were planning to introduce new teaching online platforms (54%) and more online assessment methods (53%). The global need for increasing numbers of skilled personnel points to a crucial role for educators in teaching the contact lens practitioners of the future. Contact lens education delivery was already evolving prior to COVID-19, and changes that are currently occurring may lead to permanent differences in the way contact lenses are taught in future. The International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE) provides educators with a standardised global curriculum, online resources and teaching technology that could also serve as a model for wider ophthalmic education in future.

Optometric education in the post-COVID-19 era: A time of forced change!

There is a massive disruption of the global economy and education due to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This has posed significant challenges and threats to the academic community, especially in health care where the learning and assessment are patient centered. Though blended learning had its emphasis in the pre-COVID-19 era, innovations are required to meet up to the increased demands on learning and assessment. This article uses an inductive approach and outlines the existing challenges, impact of COVID-19 era, the need for a mindset reframe, and the potential opportunities for innovations that underlie during these challenging times.

Assessing the use of a smartphone app to teach eye screening to opticians.

INTRODUCTION: Torch-light Eye Screening Test (TEST) is a simple eye screening technique designed for use by opticians to look for common anterior segment eye conditions. The TEACHES-Learning Electronic Module (TEACHES-LEM) is an e-learning platform that was developed to teach opticians to perform TEST. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of TEACHES-LEM with face-to-face training (F2FT) in the training and assessment of knowledge among opticians. METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned in this experimental study to receive either the intervention group ((TEACHES-LEM, n = 60) or the control group (F2FT, n = 57). The conceptual knowledge of TEST was assessed with a 20-item clinical scenario-based multiple choice question (MCQ) test before and after teaching (immediately post-teaching and 1-month post-teaching). The MCQ test was developed by three ophthalmologists to give face validity. RESULTS: The pre-teaching test scores (TS), indicating prior knowledge, were comparable in both groups (10.02 ± 2.79 versus 10.40 ± 4.17, p = 0.563, independent t test). The mean immediate post teaching score for TEACHES-LEM was 13.3 ± 4.01 versus 12.3 ± 3.29 in the F2FT group (p = 0.170, independent t test). The mean post 1-month teaching score for TEACHES-LEM and F2FT groups were also comparable, 14.5 ± 4.19 versus 13.4 ± 3.90 respectively (p = 0.295, independent t test), indicating non-inferiority of TEACHES to F2FT. CONCLUSION: The TEACHES-LEM e-learning tool is as effective as F2FT in teaching opticians to perform TEST. It is an alternative to face-to-face teaching in delivering knowledge and assessment. The obviation for physical contact will make it a useful teaching tool during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

COVID-19: ensuring safe clinical teaching at university optometry schools.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been spreading across the globe for several months. The nature of the virus (SARS-CoV-2) with easy person-to-person transmissions and the severe clinical course observed in some people necessitated unprecedented modifications of everyday social interactions. These included the temporary suspension of considerable elements of clinical teaching at optometry schools worldwide. This article describes the challenges optometry schools were facing in early to mid 2020. The paper highlights the experiences of six universities in five countries on four continents. Strategies to minimise the risk of virus transmission, to ensure safe clinical optometric teaching and how to overcome the challenges presented by COVID-19 are described. An outlook on opportunities to further improve optometric education is provided.

Impact of COVID-19 on academic activities and way forward in Indian Optometry.

PURPOSE: Academia is experiencing massive reforms globally amid lockdown in COVID-19 outbreak. This study is aimed to apprehend the enabling and impeding factors of these reforms, with a focus on optometry education. It brings together how the Indian optometry educational system has responded to COVID-19 disruptions with findings of the 2020 survey, in light of similar survey done in 2018. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional survey was designed to find changes in optometry training and adaptations of Indian optometry educators amid COVID 19 lockdown. In the last week of April 2020, on the observation that the majority of optometry institutions have switched their teaching-learning activities on e-learning mode, an online survey was conducted using a validated questionnaire containing a mix of open and close-ended questions. RESULTS: Seventy-three out of 78 optometry educators (93.58%) have switched to e-learning mode in a very short time span with good confidence. Most teaching-learning and assessment activities are carried out using multi-device supporting video conferencing tools, dedicated educational portals and social media apps. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic is proving to be a constructive disruptor, giving an opportunity for restructuring the present conventional, classroom based educational system. The quick transitions to online mode assisted in keeping continuity of optometry education programs, effectively fitting in the purpose of completion of the current academic year. The rapid transition to online education has not only benefited optometry students but also has created a momentum of continued education for practicing optometrist in the country.