2022-2023 Early-career funded researchers
For this fourth edition, the Network is pleased to announce this year recipient:
Reza Abbas, PhD
Assistant Professor
Ecole d’optometrie – University of Montréal
Axis: Brain and Perception / Visual Impairment and Rehabilitation
Domain: Clinical research
Clinical utility of MOBIVIS in the optometric management of patients mild traumatic brain (mTBI) patients
Visual disturbances are among the most reported symptoms following a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). There are currently several screening protocols for mTBI patients with visual sequelae. However, these are often long and are intended more particularly for optometrists, who have access to specialized instruments. It is in this context that I created the MOBIVIS (Montreal Brain Injury Vision Screening), which is a rapid screening protocol for post-mTBI visual disorders that could be performed by non-optometrists. It consists of a five-question questionnaire as well as two screening tests that can be performed as part of a primary care practice. Depending on the outcome, further vision care management may be recommended. In this project, I want to test the ability of the MOBIVIS to be used as a reliable screening tool with mTBI patients. Specifically, I plan to (1) measure whether there are differences in MOBIVIS scores between a group of mTBI patients and a control group (2); explore the ability of the MOBIVIS to obtain results comparable to the BIVSS (Brain Injury Visual Symptoms Survey) which is a questionnaire used in optometry clinics; (3) compare the results obtained with the MOBIVIS by optometrists with those obtained by non-optometrists health professionals for the two groups. The results obtained will allow us to demonstrate the clinical utility of MOBIVIS, even if it is performed by a non-optometrist health professional.
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