New Evidence-based Clinical Practice Guideline for Optometry Available for Peer and Public Review

ST. LOUIS, May 19, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Optometric Association (AOA) is proud to present its next evidence-based clinical practice guideline, Comprehensive Pediatric Eye and Vision Examination for an online 30-day public review period.

The Comprehensive Pediatric Eye and Vision Examination guideline describes appropriate examination procedures for evaluation of the eye health and vision status of infants and children to reduce the risk of vision loss and facilitate normal visual development.

The AOA follows the Institute of Medicine (IOM) standards for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. As part of those standards, guideline development requires external review from relevant stakeholders, such as scientific and clinical experts, agencies, industry and the public.

"Disseminating this guideline for public review provides an opportunity for an even broader perspective of input that's critically important to this process," said Diane Adamczyk, O.D., chair of the AOA Evidence-Based Optometry (EBO) Committee, which is responsible for compiling the evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.

Eye Care of the Patient with Diabetes Mellitus was the first such AOA guideline to meet the IOM standards and is now available at the National Guideline Clearinghouse. This Comprehensive Pediatric Eye and Vision Examination clinical practice guideline comes on the heels of the Comprehensive Adult Eye and Vision Examination, also recently having undergone revisions to meet the Institute of Medicine (IOM) standards for evidence-based recommendations.

Want to participate?

Review of the Comprehensive Pediatric Eye and Vision Examination guideline provides the AOA EBO Committee with the necessary feedback to know how best to reach multiple stakeholders with interest in the guideline, noted Dr. Adamczyk.

To participate:

1. Click here to access the online Peer & Public Review Comment Form.
2. Log all comments and suggestions within the document.
3. Forward the completed document to [email protected].

The peer and public review period officially began May 18, 2016, and comments will be accepted through June 18, 2016. The finished guideline will be available later in 2016.

About the American Optometric Association (AOA):
The American Optometric Association, a federation of state, student and armed forces optometric associations, was founded in 1898. Today, the AOA is proud to represent the profession of optometry, America's family eye doctors, who take a leading role in an individual's overall eye and vision care, health and well-being. Doctors of optometry (ODs) are the independent primary health care professionals for the eye and have extensive, ongoing training to examine, diagnose, treat and manage disorders, diseases and injuries that affect the eye and visual system, providing two-thirds of primary eye care in the U.S. For information on a variety of eye health and vision topics, and to find an optometrist near you, visit aoa.org. 

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SOURCE American Optometric Association

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