Walter Wittich, Concordia University

Visual function assessment and metamorphopsia after macular hole surgery

According to Mr. Wittich, established measures of vision impairment have been poor in predicting how well an elderly person can handle daily visual tasks, for example, independent travel. The goal of improved vision measurement is to assure that patients will receive the most appropriate treatment. In turn, their general health and level of functioning will improve, resulting in better quality of life.

The advantage of Mr. Wittich's research approach lies in the fact that the laboratory where he is working is located within an eye-clinic. This convenient location allows their team to meet with visually-impaired seniors while they have an appointment with their ophthalmologist. They are not required to travel separately for the purpose of research.

This type of work becomes important when trying to determine if a treatment should be paid for by a government or insurance agency. They hope to better understand if both the patient and the vision-care provider are satisfied with the outcome. This improved understanding will guide them in the design of accessible environments and in the development of policies with the needs of visually-impaired seniors in mind.

This study forms the beginning of a series of studies that are aimed at changing basic vision tests used in vision science and transforming them into clinically useful measures. Throughout the next few years, Mr. Wittich is planning to expand his findings from his Honors and Master's research theses into a more well-rounded evaluation protocol for patients who have age-related vision loss.

After completing his Master's Degree in Psychology at Concordia University, Mr. Wittich will begin his Doctorate in Neuroscience at McGill University in Fall 2006. He intends to investigate visual processing in seniors that are affected with age-related vision impairment, and develop a vision test protocol for seniors that is applicable in medical treatment and vision rehabilitation.