Adult Learning: SEE What I Mean?

I read something very interesting the other night that I wanted to share with you.

Adults are different than children.

No, wait, there's more!

Adults learn differently than children.

Photo: Jason Taellious

Parents send their children to school to acquire the basic learning in order to function in society: language skills, arithmetic, spelling, etc. Things change as you get older. Adults don't have to go to school unless it is something they choose. The entire process of adult learning varies tremendously compared to what is experienced by children. It begins with motivation: adults seek more education in order to create change (involving skills, behavior, knowledge level, even attitudes). Previous experiences and the personal level of engagement also shape adult learning.

So, what does any of this have to do with vision, Doctor Lloyd?

Adult learning styles vary enormously from childhood learning patterns. Think about when you were in grade school. With few exceptions most elementary school classes were pretty much taught the same way.

Photo: Matt Biddulph

Lots of research has been performed on this topic and it appears that there are three major adult learning styles:

Visual learners (aha!) absorb new information by seeing it. They enjoy PowerPoint presentations, video demonstrations, and lots of illustrations in the reading materials. Use of computers in the adult classroom really stimulates visual learners. I have to admit that I enjoy dynamic lectures with lots of interesting images, graphics, and animations.

Listen to this - auditory learners prefer to hear the new material. They tend to recall verbal information far better than written material. In fact, they don't want to read anything. Perhaps this is why I often doze-off during sermons on Sunday mornings.

The final group of adult students are kinesthetic learners. These are the 'hands on' students - teach them by showing them what's important to know. My military career gave me enormous exposure to the time-honored technique: 'see one, do one, teach one'!

Successful adult educators know that adults learn best when classwork combines visual, auditory, and kinesthetic activities.

Do you see what I mean? Does this sound right to you? How do you feel about it?

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Technorati Tags: learning styles, adult education, visual, auditory, kinesthetic

What's the BIG IDEA?

I greatly admire innovators. Sure, discoverers and pioneers are daring and courageous because they seek something that appears unattainable (like the summit of Mt. Everest or a cure for pneumonia).

Innovators are different because they find a new way, a smarter way to do something that already exists. The iPod is an innovation that replaced tapes and CDs.

Surgeons can be great innovators, too, and the simplest tweaks often generate the most profound results.

Take surgical drapes as an example. These are large disposable sheets of plastic-lined paper that are used to create a sterile field in the operating room. Typically, the patient's body is totally covered in these sterile paper drapes - even for eye surgery. The surgical team wears gloves and gowns and all of the surgical equipment that enters the surgical field is also sterile.

There can be problems with paper drapes. They are big and bulky. They are relatively expensive. They are flammable. Yes, the surgical drapes can catch fire, and you'd be surprised how often fires erupt in the O.R. There are plenty of sparks, plenty of fuel, and lots of heat in a busy operating room. Surgical lasers are particularly dangerous, but even routine cautery (applied to stop bleeding) can ignite an inferno. This is a ripe opportunity for innovation!

Ophthalmologists at Brown University developed surgical drapes made of aluminum foil. This flexible material is lightweight, nonflammable, easy to manipulate, sterilizable, and cheaper than disposable paper drapes. Ophthalmologists at Brown used aluminum foil surgical draping in 300 surgical cases and presented their results at the recent Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).

The team reported exciting news: no infections, no fires, and no patient-related complications. It appears that a major hospital safety threat can be eliminated.

Will aluminum foil totally replace paper drapes? It's doubtful. Since aluminum is a powerful conductor of electrical current it may not be suitable for some cases when electrical energy is applied, perhaps planned cardioversion following heart surgery. Accidental contact between a live electrical lead and the foil drape could cause serious injury.

More studies will be needed before aluminum foil makes its way into mainstream surgical practice. In the meantime innovators will keep dreaming up ways to build that better mousetrap!

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Technorati Tags: medicine, vision, health and wellness, invention

May 2028: Where Is Your Doctor?

We are beginning to learn more and more about the major health care crunch that is expected to develop in America. Sure, most of us will live longer, healthier lives. The over-85 age group is the fastest growing USA demographic. This 'good news' will create an enormous burden on our already-stretched health care system.

Photo: Salim Fadhley

To make matters worse we will likely not have enough doctors. There are two reasons: an insufficient supply of new physicians and a steady exodus of existing practitioners.

The American Association of Medical Colleges calculates that there is an immediate need for an annual 30% jump in medical school enrollment in order to keep up with the exploding demand for services. This past year the increase was a measly 6% boost. It appears that we will not be able to rely on medical schools to meet the challenges of 2028.

So, what can be done to encourage doctors to keep working? Glad you asked!

According to a recent report published in Forbes, doctors are leaving the profession because they are overworked and underpaid. Many specialists accrue monstrous debt during their training and begin their practices under a dark financial cloud.

Medicare is chopping reimbursements by 15.6% between now and January 2009. That automatically means that other insurers will do likewise. Would you keep working with a 15.6% pay cut?

Let's recap: Overworked, tired, broke, disillusioned. Hey, we didn't mention sued!

Many hardworking physicians cannot afford malpractice insurance. Some surgeons pay over $250,000 a year (if insurance is available at all). Sure, let's identify and deal with unsafe, reckless doctors, but at the same time we need to curtail frivolous malpractice claims. Did you know that only 6% of malpractice claims ever go to trial, and the plaintiff loses 91% of the time.

Bottom line: Over half of practicing physicians discourage their children from becoming doctors.

Twenty years from now I'll be needing cataract surgery and coronary artery bypass surgery. What will you and your family need? There will not be enough experienced medical professionals around in 2028 unless we take action now.

REFERENCE: Reasons Not to Become a Doctor. Forbes 05/05/2008.

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Technorati Tags: doctors, physicians, medicine, health care, medical school, malpractice, vision, health and wellness

Surgeons Given New FDA LASIK Guidelines

On April 24 the FDA's Ophthalmic Devices Panel heard from both satisfied and dissatisfied LASIK patients, as well as representatives from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the International Society of Refractive Surgery (ISRS) who spoke about the extensive track record of safety and effectiveness for LASIK.

Following a long day of testimony and presentations, the panel has announced several recommendations for consideration by the FDA, including:

• Adding photographic illustrations of certain side effects to the FDA Web site


• Better explanation of certain outcomes, such as myopic patients who have LASIK eventually needing reading glasses post surgery


• More understandable information about the potential risks of LASIK (such as dry eye, halos, glare, starbursts, etc.)


• Clearer explanations of disqualifying conditions that might make a patient a poor candidate for LASIK (such as a family history of keratoconus and a history of depression)


• Additional information or guidance in the labeling about postoperative intraocular pressure


• More detailed guidance for lens implant measurement for post LASIK cataract surgery

Nobody knows if/when such guidelines will become federal regulations. In the meantime it is worthwhile to share these supplemental guidelines with anyone you know who is considering laser refractive surgery.

Adapted from American Academy of Ophthalmology media release, April 28, 2008

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Technorati Tags: eye surgery, LASIK, FDA, vision

Eyewear Sales Soar Despite LASIK

Photo Credit: Dawn Endico

All that bad news about LASIK complaints could not have come at a better time. Now, many folks who were undecided about laser refractive surgery may simply decide to invest in a new pair of stylish eyeglasses. I hope they don't mind waiting in line when they get to the optical shop. It appears that they'll be joining a large number of LASIK patients choosing frames.
Hey, wait a minute! I thought they said LASIK would get people out of their eyeglasses?!?

Yep, that was the prediction. Some industry analysts went so far as to forecast doom for eyeglass and contact lens manufacturers. Surprise! Eyewear sales are bigger than ever.

But, successful LASIK eliminates the refractive error, right?!?

Get ready for this: more and more consumers are paying top dollar for high style frames bearing no-correction lenses. These folks are paying to look good, not to see well.

Photo Credit: Morula

Eyewear marketers report explosive growth in sales of no-correction spectacles. People once again like the look of eyeglasses and the image it communicates. That's funny. Prior to the availability of refractive surgery the only message eyeglasses communicated was, "I can't see squat without these stupid glasses!"

In some boutiques sales of inexpensive no-correction spectacles outsell sunglasses. Choosing the right color frame can really enhance the appearance of whatever outfit you're wearing and really make you stand out...they don't call them frames for nothing!

Other people simply like the visage of authority and intelligence that goes with wearing glasses. Next time you are at the supermarket checkout peek at a few of the gossip magazines. Meryl Streep, Tina Fey, and Johnny Depp all share that look and (as far as I know) they each could easily afford LASIK, right?

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Technorati Tags: eyeglasses, sunglasses, frames, fashion, LASIK, vision