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| 1. | Candidates must be Accredited members of BABO and be entitled to appear on the BABO accreditation list to accept referrals from the public, having completed OVT 1, 2 and 3 or comparable courses. Conferment of BABO Fellowship requires independent learning and consolidation of the courses. Practitioners should have completed at least fifty patient cases. |
| 2. | Candidates must have been registered as an optometrist with the GOC (or other National licensing body) for an equivalent of at least four years full time practice before applying for the examination and course. |
| 3. | No candidate may be accepted without being a fully paid up member of the Association both at the time of the application and at the time of taking the examination and course. |
| 4. | All candidates will be required to satisfy BABO that they have sufficient professional indemnity insurance and all National registration is current. |
| 1. | Before presenting themselves for the examination, the candidates must show that they have been registered with the GOC, and practised as an optometrist, for at least 4 years. Overseas candidates will be accepted subject to recognition by the education committee of BABO that their degree and registration is comparable to standards set in the |
| 2. | Candidates are expected to conduct themselves throughout the examination in a manner appropriate to a professional examination. |
| 3. | The examination will be conducted in English at all times. |
| 4. | Candidates must sign an application form for the examination, agreeing to abide by the rules and regulations. The last date for application for the examinations will be announced but will not be less than four weeks prior to the examination date. Late entries may be accepted at the discretion of BABO. A late entry fee will then be payable. |
| 5. |
If candidates fail to present themselves at the examination, they are entitled to present themselves at a subsequent examination subject to payment of the appropriate fee and subject to complying with all other rules. In no cases will fees be returned. |
| 6. | Candidates who fail to present themselves at the examination may only take the next examination without further fee in the case of illness AND where a valid medical certificate is received by BABO within seven working days of the examination. |
| 7. | If candidates fail to present themselves at the examination without the support of a valid medical certificate, they will be deemed to have failed the examination. |
| 8. | If candidates are late in any section of the examination, it is at the discretion of the BABO examination supervisor to cancel that examination. Candidates will be deemed to have been absent and the rules in 6 and 7 will apply. |
| 9. | For the purpose of these regulations, all sections of the examination must have been passed within a period of FOUR years from participation in the compulsory VT4 course. There are no limits to the number of times each section may be taken subject to the availability of examination sittings. |
| 10. | Candidates will be notified in writing of their success/failure of the examination by BABO within two weeks of the final assessment. |
| 11. | Passes in all sections of the examination are required within a four year period for the award of the diploma. All four open book questions must be passed before the candidate moves to further sections of the examination. Up to two individual sections (case records, multiple choice exam or viva) of the certification course may be re-taken at a re-sit examination day six months after the original examination day. If more than two sections are failed, candidates will be required to re-sit the complete examination process on another occasion. Candidates who fail any section of the examination process will be informed in writing of the dates and costs of re-examination, as determined by BABO. In the event that a candidate is unable to pass all sections of the examination within the period of four years, candidates will be required to take the complete examination cycle again. Candidates who are unsuccessful at the second examination cycle (ie exam, re-sit, exam re-sit twice) will be refused entry to further cycles of the examination. |
| 12. | Where the candidate fails to complete all the requirements in the examination within the four year period, they will be required to re-take all sections of the course and examination again. |
| 13. | Candidates must submit their case records and open book questions for scrutiny and assessment by the due date or they will be deemed to have failed that section of the examination. |
| 14. | Any complaint about the conduct of the examination must be made immediately after the examination and before leaving the venue to the BABO examinations supervising officer. The supervising officer will take the appropriate action and advise whether the candidate should make their complaint in writing. Should this be necessary, no complaint will be entertained if it is received after a period of 10 working days from the date of the examination. |
| 15. | Candidates who have failed any section of the examination may appeal to BABO. The appeal must be made within 10 working days of notification of the examination result. For each individual result that an appeal is made, a fee will be charged according to the schedule of fees in force at the time of the appeal. |
| 16. | In all matters of dispute relating to the Certificate Course and Examination, the Education Sub Committee of BABO shall be the final arbiter. |
| 17. | At the specific written request of the candidate, the results may be sent to a third party. |
| 18. | Once formal notification of the success has been received, members shall be entitled to use the appropriate letters after their name in accordance with the rules made, from time to time, by BABO. |
| 19. | BABO reserves te right to withdraw the right to use the appropriate annotation at its discretion. Maintenance of Membership or Fellowship would be dependent upon maintaining regular CET, as now, and payment of the BABO membership fee. |
The following specification of the certification was approved by BABO on the17th September 2007 for all examinations conducted after October 2007.
Sections
A Completion of strabismus and amblyopia course (3 days residential)
C Presentation of four case studies
D MCQ examination
E Viva examination
Section A
A three day Strabismus and Amblyopia course (OVT4) will be attended. This course comprises aspects of examination and treatment of strabismus and amblyopia therapy. This course is intended as a foundation and may not cover every aspect of the subject in the specification. The candidate must therefore satisfy him/herself that adequate preparation has been made and the relevant background reading and experience has been gained. The syllabus for VT4 is in Appendix 2.
Section C
The candidate will be required to present four case studies in order to demonstrate the breadth of practice and extended expertise. These case studies should be one each of the following:
(i) evaluation and treatment of strabismus or amblyopia
(ii) a specific learning difficulties case
(iii) a lens case
+ (iv) free choice of one other case which may include low vision rehabilitation or traumatic brain injury at the discretion of the candidate.
BABO will consider a flexible approach to these subject headings in exceptional circumstances. Such a circumstance might be where a candidate is not practising in the
It is envisaged that one case record will be forwarded to an examiner early in the preparation process in order for the candidate to be given feedback so that candidates can ensure they are attaining an appropriate standard before formally presenting their work.
Section DMCQ examination, comprising 40 questions to be taken in 1 hour.
Section EViva – a one hour oral examination, with two examiners, covering any aspect of behavioural optometry, detailed discussions of the case studies, and may include a discussion of the open book answers.
Fellowship Higher Diploma
In order to gain the use of Fellow of the Association Higher Diploma – FBABO(HD) - candidates would need to take an approved Research Methodology and Statistics course at a local University (or appelle a course already taken), and present a research project that has been peer reviewed by the examiners or experienced reviewers appointed by BABO for the purpose, to a standard suitable for publication. As part of a one hour viva the candidate will present the project to the examiners for 30-40 minutes. Previously published research may be submitted for consideration by the examiners of the Fellowship Higher Diploma. Recommendation for the award will be given to the BABO Education Sub Committee for approval. Successful candidates will be expected to present their work at a BABO study day or AGM.
MentoringEach candidate will be assigned a mentor to assist with the scientific approach, literature study, give guidance and encouragement, and advise generally.
Approved Statistics courses can be taken as lectures eg City University course or as an online course eg Aston University. There is no time limit on BABO Fellowship Higher Diploma.
Accreditation and Certification process for BABO 2006
| Entry Level - Associate Membership of BABO |
Initial point of entry - Associate Membership |
| VT1 - Introduction to Behavioural Optometry | |
| VT2 - Nuts and Bolts | |
| VT3 - Vision & Learning | |
| Accredited Membership of BABO
Entry on to accreditation list for public viewing |
|
| VT4 - Strabismus and Amblyopia | |
| 4 Open Book Questions - to be passed within three years before moving to the next stage | |
| 4 Case Studies | |
| Multiple Choice Exam | |
| Viva exam | |
| Award of FBABO letters | Approval by Exams Board + Education Sub-Committee |
| Award of FBABO(HD) letters | Research Methodology and Statistics course + Project prepared to publication standard |
|
BEHAVIOURAL OPTOMETRY · Success in Vision Therapy · Visual Considerations THE VISUAL PROBLEMS - CHILDREN · How many under performing children are there? · Children with reduced academic performance · Ametropia · Children with referable visual problems (age 9-12) · Accommodative problems classification · Symptoms in accommodation disorders TESTS FOR ACCOMMODATIVE PROBLEMS · Amplitude · Binocular Accommodative Facility · Positive and negative relative accommodation · MEM retinoscopy TREATMENT OF ACCOMMODATIVE PROBLEMS · Correction of Ametropia · Methods BINOCULAR FUSIONAL FUNCTION TESTING PROCEDURES · NPC · Phorias · AC:A · Gradient method · Fusional reserves · PRA/NRA · Binocular flippers · Stereopsis TABLE OF EXPECTEDS:VERGENCE TESTING · Tests Evaluating Positive Fusional Vergence (PFV Group) · Tests Evaluating Negative Fusional Vergence (NFV Group) · Tests Evaluating the Accommodative System (ACC Group) · Tests Evaluating the Ocular Motor System · Tests Evaluating Vertical Fusional Vergence (VFV Group) · Motor Alignment and Interaction Tests (MAIT Group) BINOCULAR ANOMALIES · Heterophoria with Low AC/A Ratio · Heterophoria with · Heterophoria with High AC/A Ratio · Vertical Heterophoria · Accommodative Anomalies · Ocular Motor Problems CLASSIFICATION OF THE VISION DISORDER · Binocular Vision, Accommodative And Ocular Motor Anomalies · Binocular Vision Disorders With A Low Ac/A Ratio · Orthophoria at Distance - Convergence Insufficiency · Exophoria at Distance - Convergence Insufficiency · Esophoria at Distance - Divergence Insufficiency · Orthophoria at Distance and Near- Fusional Vergence Dysfunction · Exophoria at Distance - Basic Exophoria · Esophoria at Distance - Basic Esophoria · Orthophoria at Distance - Convergence Excess · Esophoria at Distance - Convergence Excess · Exophoria at Distance - Divergence Excess · Accommodative Insufficiency · Ill-sustained Accommodation · Accommodative Excess · Accommodative Infacility (Inertia of Accommodation) CLASSIFICATION OF OCULAR MOTOR ANOMALIES TREATMENT APPROACH TO BINOCULAR VISION DYSFUNCTION · Correct ametropia · Lenses (for treatment) · Optometric vision therapy · Techniques Brock string/dot card Binocular flippers +/- Binocular flippers -bi/bo Dino card Vectograms Stereoscopes Aperture rules NEAR POINT STRESS, NEAR POINT RETINOSCOPY AND PLUS LENSES · What is Near Point Stress? · Traditional models of near point stress · Less Traditional Models · Eustress and Distress · Skeffington’s 4 circles CLINICAL RECOGNITION OF NEAR POINT STRESS · Symptoms · Failure to sustain at near NEAR POINT RETINOSCOPY TECHNIQUES · MEM (Monocular Estimation Method) · Book Retinoscopy · · Stress Point Retinoscopy · Treatment of Near Point Stress · Why Plus Lenses Help · How and when to Prescribe Plus · How Can You Check The Results? OCULOMOTOR DYSFUNCTION · Symptoms · Diagnostic Findings · KD Test · DEM · Maples Oculomotor Test · OMD treatment · Ocular Pursuit Training Hart chart Hart chart near/far focus Trombone reading Physiological Diplopia (Phys Dip) Eye Control See Three Coins Brock String Binocular Accommodative Rock Dinosaur Fusion Transparency Rotations Clock Rotations at Near |
OVT2 Nuts and Bolts Specification
· Patients may not be aware of the problem
THE NATURE OF VISION
· Learn
· Dominant
· Heavily influences perception
· Identification (What is it?)
· Communication (What can I tell you about it?)
· Distance
· Time
· Space
· Perceptual and cognitive aspects
TRADITIONAL OEP TESTING - 21 Point test
3 Habitual lateral phoria at distance 0.5XOP
13a Habitual lateral phoria at near 6 XOP
5 Near point retinoscopy at 20 inches
7a Maximum plus to best acuity at distance
8 Induced lateral phoria at distance 0.5 XOP
9 Base out at distance to first blur 7-9
10 Base out to break and recovery 19/10 min
11 Base in to break and recovery at distance 9/5 min
12 Vertical phorias and ductions at distance ortho and =
13b Induced lateral phoria at near 6 XOP
15b Lateral phoria through the fused crossed cylinder
16a Base out to complete blur at near 15
16b Base out to break and recovery at near 21/15 min
17a Base in to complete blur at near 14
17b Base in to break and recovery at near 22/18 min
18 Vertical phorias at near ortho
19 Amplitude of accommodation 5 min
20 Positive relative accommodation -2.00 to -2.25
21 Negative relative accommodation +1.75 to +2.00
22 Monocular Accommodative facility at near
23 Binocular accommodative facility at near
25 Motilities, fixations pursuits and grasp and reach tests
26 Hand-eye, developmental and perceptual batteries
What is wrong with the 21 point test?
· The accommodation/Identification process
· NPC
· Phoria
· Prism Vergences (fusional ranges)
VISUAL PERCEPTUAL PERFORMANCE – to be covered in detail in OVT3
· Balance
· Spatial relations Sub-test TVPS
· Beery Developmental Test of VMI
· Visual Perception- Non Motor
· TVPS
· Information Span- Visual Memory and Visualisation
· Visual memory and visual sequential memory (TVPS)
· Visual-Aural - Digit Span test
PEACHEY MINIMUM ATTENTION MODEL
· Complex tasks need to be automatic.
· Frees conscious thinking capacity
· Allows appreciation of the innovative aspects of the ‘task’
· Encompasses the oculomotor component (reading, writing)
· Selective attentional decision
NEAR POINT STRESS
· Important cause of visual difficulties
· Drive to centre localisation closer than identification
· Brock String
· Mental Minus
· Marsden ball construction
· Bunt ball
OVT3 Vision and Learning Specification
SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES
· Definitions and an outline history of the field.
· Dyslexia
· Learning difficulties
· Dyspraxia
· Attention Deficit disorders
· Biological and Neurological perspectives
· Work of (amongst others) Tallal, Stein, Lovegrove, Galaburda,
Geshwind
· Parallel Processing magnocellular and parvocellular systems
· Psychological and Educational perspectives
LEARNING THEORY
· Piagetian theory & Harry Wachs
· Sequential and Global processing
VISUAL SKILLS FOR LEARNING
· Eye movements - Pursuits, saccades
· Vergence / accommodation relationships
· Visual perceptual skills
· Gross and fine motor skills
· Laterality and directionality
· Perceptual speed
· Visualisation
· Visual / Auditory integration & Rhythm
TESTING
· What are we trying to test? Why?
· How does testing fit in with the four circles model of vision?
· How do we test?
Observation / Developmental Performance
Standardised Tests
Standard Test Scores - What do they mean?
Raw Scores
Standard Scores
Scale Scores
Age Equivalents
Percentiles
The importance of direct observation during learning tasks,
Effects of loading the test
OPTOMETRIC CHAIR TESTS
· OEP 21 point analysis
· Vergence measurement: phoria, Howell Card & AC/A,
· Fusion probes
· Accommodation: amplitude and facility probes
· Retinoscopic probes including MEM
· Case typing probes
· Eye movement skills:
DEM
Use of electronic eye movement recording systems
Pursuit testing Groffman Tracing Performance
Laterality and directionality
Piaget L/R awareness tests
Angels in Snow and hierarchical development
Graphomotor test
PERCEPTUAL TESTS
· TVPS
· MFVPT
· WCAB
· Computerised Perceptual Therapy Programme
GROSS MOTOR
· Use of walking rail & Balance Board
FINE MOTOR
· Wold Sentence copy test
· Beery VMI
· Winterhavens copy forms
· Writing observations - grip & posture
AUDITORY
· Rosner TAAS
· TAPS
AUDITORY/VIISUAL INTEGRATION
· Birch
DYSLEXIA
· Bangor Dyslexia test
· DDT
READING TESTS
· Schonel
· Holborn
· Neale Analysis
ADDITIONAL TESTING AREAS
· Retained Infant reflexes & NDD
· Auditory processing skills testing
· ‘Coloured’ lenses
INTERPRETATION AND COLLATION
· From a classical and a behavioural perspective
VISION THERAPY PROCEDURES
· Basic pursuits
· Thumb rotations
· Marsden ball
· Wall chart
· Jump reading
· Flashlight chase
·
· The tracking programme
· Combined saccadic and pursuits
· Pointer in straw
· Brock string
· Voluntary convergence
· Lifesaver cards
· Focus flipper work
· Focus change
· Looking hard & soft
· Minus lens focus
· Plus lens focus
· Bilateral integration training
· Left and right discrimination training
· Directionality training
· Balance training
· Rhythm and vision
· Auditory perceptual programmes
· Space matching
· Visualisation training programmes
· Tangrams
· Wachs cognitive structures
· Eye-hand control exercises
DEVELOPMENTAL ANOMALIES
· Nutrition (including ADHD)
· Reflexes / Auditory / Sound Therapy
· Coloured Lenses: Irlen, Chromagen, Wilkins
· Dunlop test: Stein & Fowler
· Referral to Others
· Educational Psychology
· Reflexes
· Occupational Therapy
· Audiological testing
· Chiropractic & Osteopathy
· Nutrition
· Management matters
· Building LD work into a busy practice
· Record keeping & report
OVT4 Strabismus and Amblyopia Specification
Why does amblyopia happen?
Why does strabismus happen?
MECHANISMS FOR PREVENTING STRESS FROM NON-ALIGNMENT – the anatomy and physiology of strabismus and amblyopia
· Classical anatomy and physiology
· Pathology
· Incomitancy and causes
Trauma, vascular, other disease including raised intracranial pressure and space occupying lesions, ophthalmoplegia
· Neurogenic and muscular
· Development of BV and stereopsis
· Differences in types of stereopsis global and local
· Developmental issues and milestones
· Importance of history taking and birth history
· Significance of onset of strabs/amblyopia in terms of age
· Relationships to refraction
· Relationships to febrile illness
STRABISMUS
Classifications and incidence
· Relate incidences to history and refraction
Diagnostic testing
· Cover uncover
· Alternate cover
· Time for cover testing
· Motilities (with cover test)
· Hess and interpretations
· Red green bar
· Parks 3 step
· Bielchowski
· City Hess chart and its advantages and disadvantages
· Pola test
· Use of Polaroid glasses and mirror
· The role of cyloplegia
Eccentric fixation
· Diagnosis Linx star
· Use of after image
What flash light?
How to do it
Interpretation
MIT
ARC
· Diagnosis with
· Mallett
· AIT
PROGNOSIS BY TYPE OF STRABISMUS AND AETIOLOGY
Techniques for management and therapy
· Refractive
Including the errors of off axis retinoscopy
Near retinoscopy colour changes in respect to amblyopia and strabismic patients
· AIT
· Synoptophore
· Adverse occlusion
· MIT
· General therapy principles
· Lustre to simultaneous perception to monocular in binocular field to peripheral fusion and then full on central fusion
· Vectograms and tranylglyphs
Binocularity vv biocularity
· Monocular in a binocular field
AMBLYOPIA
Classifications
· Bilateral, Streff etc
· Conversion syndrome
· Dangers of diverting to other parts
· Parental problems/contributions
Detection and assessment
· Refraction and the role of cycloplegia
· Line vs single letter acuity
· LogMar vs Snellen
· Low and High contrast
· VER ERG
Methods of treatment
· Patching
How long?
How often?
Which eye?
Bangeter foils et al
· Active treatment
· Importance of identification
· Importance of movements (accuracy and ability)
· Importance of peripheral and central
· Trans lid stimulation
· Eyelights
· IPS
What works and what does not
· types of amblyopia where treatment works
· Refractive management during treatment
· Longevity of effect
· What is realistic
· Ethics of treatment
· Anecdotal case histories of Vision improvements after injury to better eye
· Why it is important to treat ‘accommodation’ at the same time
· Why eye movements are often jerk monocularly
· Drug penalisation therapy
Prognosis by type of amblyopia
General overview
Classification
Causes
Treatment
· Evidence base
· Assessing improvements
· Occurrences with the ‘syndromes’
PATHOLOGICAL STRABISMUS AND AMBLYOPIA
Possible causes
Detection
· Red cap test
· Bruckner test
Traumatic brain injury and strabismus
· Overview only as a taster for further study
PRACTICAL ASPECTS
Home vv In-office therapy
Record Keeping
Therapy vv surgery Vs botulinum therapy
· Surgical methods
Working with younger patients
Role of lenses in treatment
· Prisms, Yoked and opposite bases, (including the concept of prism adaptation, vergences and versions adaptations, fast and slow phase of vergence mechanism and sustaining power in fusional reserves spheres,
Legal aspects
Strabs and amblyopia and the NHS
Miscellaneous
· Concept of spatial awareness, past pointing and localisation errors and how strabs, instability and amblyopia can affect understanding of space and depth
· Wallach rings
· TV trainers
· PC and web based therapy
A Discuss the use of the concept of anti-gravity in the assessment, and treatment of patients. Give specific examples of the following in your answers:
a) How you might assess anti-gravity in an examination
b) The ways and reasons you might use anti-gravity during OVT
B Select and describe five applications of lenses and prisms prescriptions beyond refractive compensation. Include in your discussion the influence of lenses and prisms on visual stress.