Provider Resources

We create tools for eye care providers. These tools can assess, treat, and help manage eye and ocular injuries and conditions. We get our content for our tools from:

  • Our ongoing practice
  • Our advanced research
  • Input from trusted:
    • Experts
    • Clinical communities
    • Academic communities

Our tools focus on preventing, diagnosing, mitigating, treating, and rehabilitating ocular conditions. By doing this, we set new benchmarks in eye care services. We give our providers the latest guidelines and recommendations. We are helping those providers who are helping our service members and veterans. 

Clinical and Practice Recommendations

We develop recommendations for eye care providers. They are:

  • Clinical recommendations
  • Practice recommendations

We get input from subject matter experts. This input help us to develop assessment, treatment, and/or management tools for certain eye conditions. These conditions include eye and vision system diseases.

megaphone icon imageNew Resource: Ocular Motor Rehabilitation Definition Report

The new Ocular Motor Rehabilitation Definition Report defines OMR and explains how it supports consistent evidence based care. This report supports the following VCE recommendations:

  • Ocular and Vision Dysfunction Management Following Blast Exposure and TBI
  • Post Concussion m/TBI

This Clinical Recommendation helps providers test and rehabilitate patients. Patients with visual field loss caused by traumatic or acquired brain injury. A functional test should be done to guide the design of the rehabilitation program. As with all clinical recommendations, professional judgment should always be used.

Fact Sheet: Assists those who provide eye care and rehabilitation to individuals with visual field loss caused by traumatic or acquired brain injury. This fact sheet provides an overview of the most used rehabilitation treatments for visual field loss.

Reference Cards: A tool that eye care and rehabilitation specialists can carry around with them. They provide descriptions of the CR. Key points include:

  • Algorithm of care along with tables of evaluation questions
  • Functional impact tests and outcome measures
  • Rehabilitation recommendations for each type of visual field loss

The Dizziness and Traumatic Brain Injury practice recommendation is for eye care providers. It helps them to assess, to manage, and to refer patients who have dizziness after a concussion or TBI.

Eye care providers should use this tool to support their clinical decisions. This tool may not look at local or structural conditions like staffing or equipment. This could impact their clinical decisions.

The Laser Exposure recommendation is for all medical providers. It’s for those providers who treat service members who may have been exposed to Directed Energy.
It explains:

  • What DE is
  • How DE affects the eyes
  • How to develop a care procedure
  • How an eye care provider gives follow-on care

This Practice Recommendation covers vision and eye movement problems. It is for use after a concussion or mild traumatic brain injury. It helps providers diagnose and treat patients of all ages.

It includes:

  • A questionnaire about concussion/mTBI history*
  • Recommended steps for diagnosis and treatment
  • Tips for rehabilitation and referral suggestions
  • A step-by-step guide for clinicians

*Patients should complete the questionnaire before their appointment.

This Ocular Motor Rehabilitation Definition Report explains what ocular motor rehabilitation is and how it can be applied to clinical care after a traumatic brain injury.

This Practice Recommendation can be used to guide the care for patients with eye or vision problems after a blast or traumatic brain injury (TBI). Find guidance on eye exams, treatment, recovery, and referrals.

The clinical screening tool describes a rapid eye care screening method. The tool helps eye care providers identify people who, after a TBI, can get an oculomotor dysfunction. These dysfunctions can affect their:

  • Visual quality of life
  • Post-TBI rehabilitation
  • Return to active duty
  • Return to work
  • Other life activities

This Ocular Motor Rehabilitation Definition Report explains what ocular motor rehabilitation is and how it can be applied to clinical care after a traumatic brain injury.

Clinical Practice Guidelines

Clinical Practice Guidelines are evidence-based tools. These tools help doctors provide consistent care. Experts create these guidelines. They review medical research to do this. CPGs ensure doctors use the best practices. This applies when treating health conditions or injuries. These guidelines are updated often. This ensures they stay current. By following these guidelines, doctors can improve patient care. They can also increase patient satisfaction.

Eye Trauma: Conditions and Treatments for Eye Surgeons

This Clinical Practice Guideline is for ophthalmologists. It is for those who treat eye injuries in a deployed environment. They do so without support from fully trained subspecialty providers. This CPG is based on expert input. It also uses the latest medical literature:

Laser Exposure: Ocular Evaluation and What to Do

This guideline helps medical providers care for service members who might have had laser exposure affecting their eyes. Click here to learn what you need to know:

Online Training

Joint Knowledge Online provides a global training and education platform. JKO’s catalog offers hundreds of online courses to support the Military Health System. Users with a Common Access Card or login can access JKO. VCE has developed the following course:

DHA-US 1165 Vision Dysfunction Following Traumatic Brain Injury

The modules in this course will help eye care providers, therapists, and all other multidisciplinary staff understand these topics:

  • Underlying anatomy and causes of TBI associated vision dysfunction
  • Initial assessment and evaluation
  • Items to consider for treatment and rehab at a local site
  • What to do next and how to refer for:
    • Additional evaluations
    • Care
    • Treatment strategies

Participants can now receive Continuing Education and Continuing Medical Education credits upon completion through the Continuing Education Program Office.

JKO Education and Training SiteGoes to JKO

Federal Optometric Residency 

We have a joint effort with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences to help eye care providers. Here’s how these tools can help:

Core Program

  • Provides a strong education
  • Covers clinical care and research
  • Offers training for brain injury patients in the military, VA, and in the public
  • Focuses on best proven practices and seeks to always improve

Federal Optometric Residency in Brain Injury Rehabilitation Core CurriculumView curriculum

Milestones Assessment Plan

  • Offers a clear way to evaluate residents’ progress
  • Assesses skills in patient care, medical knowledge, and communication

Federal Optometric Residency in Brain Injury Rehabilitation - Milestones Assessment PlanView plan

Ocular Trauma and Vision Readiness Video Teleconference

We host a monthly worldwide teleconference to educate about eye injuries and vision readiness. We get insights from the Department of Defense, Defense Health Agency, and Department of Veterans Affairs.

Here's what you need to know:

  • Our conferences bring together experts from care sites worldwide
  • We review vision cases and look for ways to improve our processes
  • Participants, including eye doctors, neurologists, physicians, and nurses, can earn Continuing Education

Come join us to learn, share, and improve vision care together! Email us at dha.ncr.Medical-Affairs.mbx.vce@health.mil to learn how to register for the next teleconference.

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