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More standards headlines:

• WHO recommends standards for definition of vision loss
  
  
• ICO Standards Committee Report on Functional Vision (2007)
  
  
• ICO resolution on standards for measurement of vision loss
  
  
• International clinical disease severity scales adopted for diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema

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WHO recommends standards for definition of vision loss and visual functioning

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a report that recommends a modification of the categorization of visual impairment and codes for blindness and low vision to be incorporated into the International Classification of Diseases and used for reporting internationally.

The report on "Development of Standards for Characterization of Vision Loss And Visual Functioning" is based on a WHO consultation in September 2003.

Among the participants was International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) Standards Committee Member August Colenbrander, MD, who prepared the ICO’s 2002 resolution on "Visual Standards - Aspects and Ranges of Vision Loss."

In line with the ICO report and with the finding that the most common cause that of vision loss is undercorrected refractive error, WHO recommends reporting vision loss based on the presenting, binocular acuity (a measure of how the person functions), rather than on the best-corrected acuity of the better eye (a measure of how the eyes function).

You can download the WHO report at: whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2003/WHO_PBL_03.91.pdf (80 KB).

The report makes the distinction between “Visual Functions,” which describe how the eye functions and “Functional Vision,” which describes how the person functions in vision-related activities.

“As societal attention is extended … from the prevention and treatment of disease to its functional consequences and their rehabilitation,” the report says, “it is imperative that we more clearly define those consequences and provide means to measure their remediation.”

The report aims at (a) expanding the awareness of all those involved with eye care to the functional consequences of vision loss (Part 1), and (b) pointing to ways in which the effectiveness of vision rehabilitation can be measured (Part 2).

The draft of Part 1 can be downloaded from (www.icoph.org/pdf/FunctionalVisionDraft.pdf). Part 2 is in preparation.

The final report will be presented at the 2008 World Ophthalmology Congress®, June 28 - July 2 in Hong Kong, and at the "Vision 2008" International Conference on Vision Rehabilitation, July 7 – 9, in Montreal.

ICO resolution on standards for measurement of vision loss

The ICO resolution on "Visual Standards - Aspects and Ranges of Vision Loss" was approved by the Council at the XXIX World Ophthalmology Congress in Sydney, Australia in April 2002.

The resolution was developed by August Colenbrander, MD, and the Advisory Committee to the ICO to encourage consistent measurement and reporting of vision loss in population surveys.

International clinical disease severity scales adopted for diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema

An international task force has adopted grading scales for evaluating the severity of different levels of diabetic retinopathy and macular edema disease.

The scales were developed to increase consistency of grading diabetic retinopathy and macular edema internationally.

They are also intended to facilitate communication among retina subspecialists, general ophthalmologists, endocrinologists/ diabetologists and primary care physicians.

The scales were defined through a consensus development process, including an invitational workshop during the World Ophthalmology Congress in Sydney in April 2002.

Development of the scales was led by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and announced at the Academy meeting in October 2002.

The Academy adopted the scales in February 2003.

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Also see: ICO Standards for Measurement of Vision Loss