Statement of Purpose
I work in the medical field, spending my days reading medical records and then taking the information I have been given in this medical jargon, and determining what this means in regards to work related activities. For example, can a person stand for 2, 4, 6 hours at a time, can they sit for 2, 4, 6 hours at a time; how many pounds can the person lift frequently and occasionally; can the person climb stairs or ladders; can the person squat, kneel, crouch, crawl; does the person have any communication or visual limitations; does the person have any environmental limitations.
Although having a rudimentary understanding of a variety of medical conditions and how these conditions affect the body is crucial, even more importantly is knowing where to find the information. One of the most confusing body systems for us to rate in regards to work related activities, is that of the eye and visual disorders.
Disorders of vision can be caused by a variety of impairments and illness, from foreign objects embedded in the eye, to infections of the eye area, to other medical conditions such as Hypertension, Diabetes, and Multiple Sclerosis.
Along with knowing how a visual disorder affects an individuals ability to do work related activities, I also need to be aware of services available for individuals with visual impairments in the community.
Because visual impairments are one of the harder aspects of my job to understand, I decided to create a pathfinder that will help not only those with visual impairments, but family members, friends and others in the medical and educational fields find some basic information, and be guided to more indepth information.
A Note on Searching Databases and Catalogues
Some helpful keywords when doing database or catalogue searches:
Vision AND Disorders
Vision AND Impairments
-- The name of the impairment --
Visual Impairment AND Treatments