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Thread: 'Binocular Anomalies: Diagnosis and Vision Therapy', by Griffen and Grisham

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    Forever Liz's Dad Steve Machol's Avatar
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    Binocular Anomalies: Diagnosis and Vision Therapy, by Griffen and Grisham

    As part of our cooperative effort with Elsevier Science, Health Service Division, OptiBoard I am please to announce the second in a series of reviews of selected ophthalmic titles published by this company. The second book is Binocular Anomalies: Diagnosis and Vision Therapy, 4th edition by John R. Griffin, MOpt, OD, MSEd; and J. David Grisham, OD, MS. This title was reviewed by the distiguished panel of Harry Jilson, Pete Hanlin, Joann Raytar and Warren McDonald.

    We hope you emjoy these reviews. For further information and pricing on this title, please visit this page:

    http://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/fcg...sbn=075064690X

    Please feel free to discuss this book with the reviewers and post any questions you have.


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    Cape Codger OptiBoard Gold Supporter hcjilson's Avatar
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    Binocular Anomalies: Diagnosis and Treatment
    by Griffin and Grisham
    Published by Butterworth Heinemann-June 15th 2002. 607pp.w/CD ROM

    A Review by Harry C Jilson.

    Binocular Anomalies is an optometric textbook. It is a comprehensive and scholarly work. The fact that this is a fourth edition stands testament to the high regard in which this text is held. That is all well and good for the burgeoning Ophthalmologist, and the Optometric student , but what of the Optician? How could this text be used in connection with Opticianry?

    Binocular Anomalies is not light reading. The optician who reads this text will be confronted with terms and expressions not normally encountered during the normal workday. I have been away from textbooks for thirty something years and I found it tough going. My problem became how to review a book I was having some trouble with. That having been said, this review will be geared toward the “street” optician. I will leave the meat and potatoes to the academicians.

    The Text is divided into three sections. The first section is concerned with the diagnosis of anomalies (irregularities), the second with their treatment , and the third, with techniques for treatment. There is a Self Assessment Test with Questions and Answers, as well as a glossary which was enormously helpful to me. Also included is a CD ROM fully downloadable.

    Diagnosis

    The first section covers measuring visual skills and identifying accommodative problems. Heterophoria, Strabismus as well as other ocular motor disorders such as Nystagmus, palsies, and ocular movement. The reader is presented with case histories to illustrate points covered in the text as well enabling the student to identify problems of an unusual nature.

    Treatment

    The authors delved into the history and philosophies behind treatment of visual anomalies. From the ancient Egyptians who treated strabismus with the application of spices to the eyes, to the medieval wearing of colored tassels, right up to present methods of training the patient in the technique of home treatment. There is considerable material concerning the treatment of amblyopia, as well as the use of video games in this training. This section was devoted to various therapies and their applications.

    Techniques

    The section on Techniques deals with the practical application of vision training aids in treating visual anomalies. It runs the gamut from the press on prism, “pencil push”, and stereoscope, to the use of television trainers. How the subject is to be instructed for home therapies as well as office therapies is also covered.

    Overall, the text is amply illustrated and annotated. The glossary will be necessary for the optician who practices in a commercial office away from the more esoteric setting of an optometric practice. The self assessment test will be worthwhile for the student but of less value to those using this text as a reference source. The downloadable CD-ROM will be useful for quick referencing.

    For the Optician, Binocular Anomalies is a valuable reference tool for dual purposes. It readily defines anomalies and describes various therapies used in their treatment. The knowledge acquired will give a better understanding of the patient undergoing treatment, and the reasons behind some of the more common methods of treatment.
    "Always laugh when you can. It is a cheap medicine"
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  3. #3
    sub specie aeternitatis Pete Hanlin's Avatar
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    Binocular Anomalies- Diagnosis and Visual Therapy,
    Fourth Edition; Griffin, John R. and Grisham, David J.; Butterworth-Heinemann; New York, NY; c. 2002

    Reviewed by Pete Hanlin, LDO, ABOM:

    In the process of reviewing the latest edition of Binocular Anomalies- Diagnosis and Visual Therapy, an Optometrist friend of mine noticed the book on my desk and commented “Oh, I see you have the latest edition of ‘the Bible!’”

    Given the breadth and depth of knowledge assembled within its pages by Dr. John Griffin and Dr. David Grisham, one feels “The Bible of Binocular Anomalies” would indeed be a suitable title for this fourth edition. In keeping with the comparison, however, it should be noted that Binocular Anomalies is definitely in King James Version form! That is, the level of detail and technical language which make this an extremely useful resource for the practitioner well-versed in the art of vision therapy will likely overwhelm anyone searching for a “Vision Therapy 101” primer.

    Supporting an encyclopedic treatment of everything from “amblyopia” to “wandering eccentric fixation,” are numerous helpful illustrations and tables throughout each chapter. The illustrations are not overly glamorous (in fact, they are all in grayscale), but visual examples are given of nearly every condition, therapy, and finding discussed. As with the text, the illustrations assume one is well-versed in the language and concepts behind visual therapy and binocular anomalies and will be most useful to the practitioner who has made a commitment to providing V.T. services as part of her/his practice.

    Beyond a discussion of binocular anomalies and the therapies used to resolve them, attention and care is given to the provision of a prognosis before training begins. Chapter six includes the “General Rules for Prognosis for Functional Cure” as well as twelve case studies with prognoses ranging from “Poor” to “Good,” each of which serve as useful guides which are easily applicable to real-life patients the reader is likely to encounter.

    The fourth edition of Binocular Anomalies includes a CDRom affixed to the inside of the back cover. The disc contains “home” and “office” descriptions of the various therapies as well as suggested therapy sequences for the treatment of eso/exo deviations, saccadic, pursuit, and accommodative disorders. This information should prove extremely useful to the practitioner who spends a large portion of his/her office time prescribing V.T. Since the effectiveness of V.T. is largely dependent upon the proper home practice of the prescribed therapy, the “Home” printouts could mean the difference between V.T. success and failure. For example, the home version of the Brock String and Ball therapy reads:

    BROCK STRING AND BEADS
    HOME VISION TRAINING INSTRUCTIONS
    1. Place one end of the string on the tip of your nose, just as you did in the office.
    2. Place the nearest bead approximately 10 in. away, the middle bead approximately 20 in. away, and the farthest bead at approximately 30 in. (These distances may be changed later in therapy according to your doctor’s recommendations.)
    3. As you look at the middle bead, you can be aware of two strings farther away and that the farthest bead appears to be doubled.
    4. As you look at the middle bead, you can be aware of two strings closer to you and that the nearest bead appears to be doubled.
    5. Keep looking at the middle bead and notice that the doubled string appears to make an X pattern and the strings should cross exactly on the middle bead.
    6. Put on the red-green spectacles with the red lens over your right eye and the green lens over your left eye. Look at the middle bead as before. Notice that one string appears to be red and the other green. Look at the middle bead and see that the red part of the near string is on your left side and the green part is on your right side.
    7. Continue looking at the middle bead and observe that beyond the middle bead, the red portion of the strings is on your right side and the green portion is on your left side.
    8. Look at the farthest bead and notice the colored strings crossing exactly on that bead.
    9. Cross your eyes to jump to the closest bead and try to see the colored strings crossing exactly on that bead.
    10. Take off the red-green glasses and keep performing the exercises as you have been doing.
    11. Try to be quick when jumping from one bead to the other and be sure that you see the strings cross exactly on the bead; notice that the other two beads are doubled.
    12. Wear any special lenses and prisms that were prescribed for this exercise. These lenses and
    prisms may be changed as you progress in vision therapy. Do this training technique each day
    as your doctor prescribes.

    To sum, if you are looking for the equivalent of a Sunday School tract to give your assistant an insight into the world of Vision Therapy, look elsewhere. However, if you are ready to take your knowledge of Binocular Anomalies to religious heights, Binocular Anomalies- Diagnosis and Vision Therapy is doubtless the Canonization of all that is currently known on the subject
    Pete Hanlin, ABOM
    Vice President Professional Services
    Essilor of America

    http://linkedin.com/in/pete-hanlin-72a3a74

  4. #4
    Master OptiBoarder Joann Raytar's Avatar
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    Binocular Anomalies: Diagnosis and Vision Therapy - Fourth Edition
    Dr. John R. Griffin and Dr. J. David Grisham
    Reviewed by: Joann Raytar

    'Binocular Anomalies: Diagnosis and Vision Therapy' is a good source for detailled information about detecting and treating binocular vision problems. However, it definitely isn't a little light reading.

    I did gain some useful information from the chapters describing the various Binocular Anomalies. Understanding the physiology behind various conditions allows the reader to better understand what some patients see and how there daily lives can be affected by these conditions. I had always thought that, other than squinting, one of the other hints that a child may have undetected vision problems was a poor attention span. Was I surprised to learn that there may be many other symptoms that we must be aware of when we deal with young patients.

    The middle of Binocular Anomalies was a bit tougher to get through for someone on the dispensing end of the business. While it is interesting to know what testing procedures are preformed and how they are given, the book gets very indepth about each individual test. The fact that many of these tests are best demonstrated with real time visuals does not make these sections easier to read. In defense of the book, I don't believe there is much that could be done to make this information attention grabbing no matter who the author was and it is information that is important to detecting vision problems.

    The end of the book picks up a bit in discussing the various theraputic treatments from eyeglasses and contacts to actual therapy. These sections are valuable to anyone in the field of Optics. Even those dispensing glasses should understand why a patient requires a certain prescription or an occluded lens. The more knowledge a person has the better they can be at fitting optical devices.

    I don't know if I would tell readers to go out and buy Binocular Anomalies: Diagnosis and Vision Therapy; however, if it is on the bookshelf it is worth reading.

  5. #5
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    Binocular Anomalies, Diagnosis and Vision Therapy (2002) John and David Grisham (4th Ed.)

    Warren G. McDonald, PhD, ABOM

    This text is an outstanding source for all ophthalmic professionals who are open minded and wishes to learn a great deal about this under-recognized subject matter. As a practicing Optician for almost 30 years I must admit that for many years my view was less than favorable, which was probably a function of my close association with Ophthalmology. The more I read, the more I realize that often, professional prejudices can certainly complicate the learning process. I enjoyed this text and encourage vision care professionals to include it in their library.

    The text is divided into 20 chapters, with 3 sections. The first section is on the diagnosis of binocular dysfunction. The second section is treatment…how the doctor treats the various anolmalies of binocularity, and the third section is on techniques of vision therapy.

    Section 1 (Chapters 1-8)

    Chapter 1 is a description of normal binocular vision, and is excellently presented in a clearly understandable fashion including anatomy of the extraocular muscles, neurological movements, sensory vision and normal values related to binocularity.

    Chapter 2 is an in depth review of visual efficiency and includes behavioral aspects of vision as well as measuring visual efficiency. The testing procedures are of particular interest.

    Chapter 3 is a case analysis of phorias, and Chapter 4 is an excellent presentation of procedures involved in strabismus testing, both well done. Chapter 5 discusses the sensory adaption to strabismus, which was of particular interest to this reviewer. Amblyopia is discussed in it’s forms, such as anisometropic or strabismatic amblyopia of interest to all ophthalmic professionals.

    Diagnosis and prognosis is presented nicely in chapter 6, with types of strabismus in chapter 7. Of interest in this chapter is the treatment modalities typically encountered in practice, optical, V.T., or surgery.

    Chapter 8 is a discussion of oculomotor conditions, such as nystagmus and cranial nerve palsy. The author has done a good job in making these complicated topics understandable.

    Section 2 (Chapter 9-16)
    Chapter 9 is a review of how vision therapy developed from Javal, Worth and Sheard, and discusses the philosophies of each. The seven princilples of vision therapy are discussed as well as some training methods.

    Chapter 10 is an excellently presented chapter on treating amblyopia, and includes several case studies of interest.

    Chapters 11-16 continue with interesting sections on the treatment of a variety of disorders including:
    11. Anomolous Correspondence Therapy, which is treating irregular foveal correspondence.
    12. Antisuppression Therapy
    13. Eso Deviations
    14. Exo Deviations
    15. Noncomitant Deviations (where the angle of deviation varies between the two eyes), Nystagmus, and Diplopia
    16. Therapy of Vision Efficiency
    All of this section is well done and presented in an understandable fashion, and of particular interest are the case studies in the back of each chapter which shows the theories in actual practice, and makes the learning experience much clearer.

    Section 3 (Chapter 17-20)

    This entire section discusses in depth procedures for use in practice. I found this section probably the least interesting but well done. As an Optician, I will not be practicing vision therapy, and found the previous sections of more interest. The last chapter, Chapter 20 addresses the scheduling of procedures as well as practice management.

    Summary

    To summarize the text in a short paragraph, I want to address the entire topic as a skeptic! I have had virtually NO experience with vision therapy. Research is still limited regarding the effectiveness of V.T. for many conditions, but I did learn a great deal about the procedures and have a better understanding of the theories involved in the process. Results were not discussed in depth and I would have enjoyed seeing more, but that is not the basis for the text. As intended, it is an excellent toll for teaching, and for learning the concepts of vision therapy and a greater understanding of binocular anomalies. I encourage all ophthalmic professionals to include it in their libraries.

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