About

Dr. Roanne Flom is a Clinical Professor of Optometry at The Ohio State University College of Optometry. Her primary focus is on low vision rehabilitation for individuals with impaired vision resulting from serious disorders of the visual system. She teaches courses in Low Vision Rehabilitation and Gerontology, trains low vision residents and fellows, and participates in graduate student training for those pursuing master's degrees in Vision Science. Dr. Flom serves as the Chief of the OSU Low Vision Rehabilitation Service, overseeing approximately 800 patient visits annually and training over 60 interns. Her professional background includes faculty positions at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she co-founded the Johns Hopkins Low Vision Consultation Service and trained low vision residents, and at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught low vision care. Her research interests are centered on visual performance in persons with impaired vision, especially related to reading, driving, and contrast vision. She collaborates on studies involving reading, driving, and a federal grant focused on the efficient assessment of visual deficits in low vision. Dr. Flom is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a diplomate of its Low Vision Section, and has held leadership roles within the organization. She holds a bachelor's degree in Human Biology from Stanford University and a doctorate in optometry, with post-graduate training in low vision and binocular vision from the University of California at Berkeley.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Nursing
• Psychology
• Optometry
• Medical education

Selected publications

• Topical Review: Teaching Serious News Delivery in Eye Care

  Optometry and Vision Science · 2023

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Medical education
  • Medicine
  • Nursing

  SIGNIFICANCE: Eye doctors regularly convey serious illness news to their patients. There is an evolving understanding of how medical educators can effectively teach this vital communication skill during real-time patient care. This article proposes teaching strategies to improve clinical optometric education related to serious illness conversations.Effectively conveying serious illness news is an essential skill in optometry practice. Established protocols can help optometrists navigate these nuanced, emotional, and complex conversations with patients, yet protocols for teaching this skill in eye care settings have not been described. Clinical educators need discrete strategies for making such pivotal communication skills learnable in an environment where patient care, teaching priorities, and limited resources are regularly juggled. Despite the importance of this competency, limited study has focused on teaching optometry learners to deliver serious eye news. In this article, we explore the importance of optometry talk, serious news delivery tools, and considerations for optometric educators teaching serious news delivery. We then adapt specific strategies from medical education to help optometry educators teach serious news delivery in clinical settings.

  PublisherDOI

• The Effect of Bioptic Telescopic Spectacle Use on Road Sign Recognition in Drivers with Central Vision Impairment

  Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science · 2016-09-26

  articleOpen access
  Publisher

• Vision, Training Hours, and Road Testing Results in Bioptic Drivers

  Optometry and Vision Science · 2015-03-25 · 14 citations

  articleOpen access

  PURPOSE: Bioptic telescopic spectacles can be used by people with central visual acuity that does not meet the state standards to obtain an unrestricted driver's license. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among visual and demographic factors, training hours, and the results of road testing for bioptic drivers. METHODS: A retrospective study of patients who received an initial daylight bioptic examination at the Ohio State University and subsequently received a bioptic license was conducted. Data were collected on vision including visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and visual field. Hours of driver training and results of Highway Patrol road testing were extracted from records. Relationships among vision, training hours, and road testing were analyzed. RESULTS: Ninety-seven patients who completed a vision examination between 2004 and 2008 and received daylight licensure with bioptic telescopic spectacles were included. Results of the first Highway Patrol road test were available for 74 patients. The median (interquartile range) hours of training before road testing was 21 (17) hours (range, 9 to 75 hours). Candidates without previous licensure were younger (p < 0.001) and had more documented training (p < 0.001). Lack of previous licensure and more training were significantly associated with having failed a portion of the Highway Patrol test and points deducted on the road test. CONCLUSIONS: New bioptic drivers without previous nonbioptic driving experience required more training and performed more poorly on road testing for licensure than those who had previous nonbioptic licensure. No visual factor was predictive of road testing results after adjustment for previous experience. The hours of training received remained predictive of road testing outcome even with adjustment for previous experience. These results suggest that previous experience and trainer assessments should be investigated as potential predictors of road safety in bioptic drivers in future studies.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Previous Driving Experience, but Not Vision, Is Associated With Motor Vehicle Collision Rate in Bioptic Drivers

  Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science · 2015-10-05 · 16 citations

  articleOpen access

  PURPOSE: Bioptic telescopic spectacles (BTS) consist of a small telescope (or telescopes) mounted high in a pair of spectacle lenses. More than 40 states allow for some form of bioptic driving licensure for people with decreased central vision. The purpose of this study was to determine significant associations among previous driving experience, vision, and motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) for bioptic drivers in Ohio. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of patients who received a vision examination and subsequently obtained bioptic licensure. We obtained driving records from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles in order to determine MVC involvement. Relationships among vision measures, age, sex, previous experience, and MVCs were investigated using time-to-event analysis and the Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: We identified 237 bioptic drivers (65% male). Age at initial exam ranged from 16 to 81 years, and mean visual acuity was approximately 20/120. The number of MVCs per driver ranged from 0 to 11, with 124 (52%) drivers having had at least one MVC. Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity were not significant predictors of MVC. Drivers without previous driving experience were significantly more likely to have been involved in an MVC (P < 0.001), and this association remained significant after adjusting for age and sex (P = 0.01). The rate of MVC per year decreased steadily over a 10-year period for drivers without previous experience. CONCLUSIONS: Previous nonbioptic driving experience, but not visual acuity or contrast sensitivity, was associated with yearly MVC rate in bioptic drivers.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Motor Vehicle Collision Rates in Bioptic Drivers and Normally-Sighted Drivers

  2014-04-30

  article

• Vision, Demographic Factors, and Motor Vehicle Collisions in Bioptic Drivers

  2013-06-16

  article

• Bioptic Driving and Nystagmus

  Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science · 2012-03-26 · 1 citations

  article
  Publisher

• Bioptic Driving Training and Road Testing

  Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science · 2011-04-22

  article
  Publisher

• Low vision: Developing services for older adults

  Australian Occupational Therapy Journal · 2007-03-29 · 5 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Interdisciplinary allied health education in treating older adults with low vision.

  PubMed · 2007-01-01 · 2 citations

  article

  In 2000, the number of elderly citizens in the United States was 35 million, an increase of 3.7 million (11%) since 1990. Of these older adults, approximately 1.3 million (4%) have a low vision impairment. Older adults make up two-thirds of those diagnosed with a visual impairment. Low vision impairment, which is different from the typical vision changes associated with aging, occurs because of a chronic visual disorder that cannot be corrected medically, surgically, or with conventional eyeglasses, most often resulting in disability. The leading causes of low vision impairment are diabetic retinopathy, cataract, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. Combined with the other physical changes associated with aging, the development of a low vision impairment further challenges the functional performance and safety of those 65 and older. Furthermore, the psychological impact from the physical changes accompanying aging is compounded for those with a low vision impairment. In response to the health needs of all age groups, Healthy People 2010 has established overarching goals to increase quality and years of healthy life and eliminate health disparities. An interdisciplinary course for allied health students was developed to support future health care providers in improving quality of life for older adults with low vision and help decrease health disparities in this population. This paper reports on the pilot experience with this course.

  Publisher

Frequent coauthors

• Bradley E. Dougherty

  SUNY College of Optometry

  16 shared

• Thomas W. Raasch

  The Ohio State University

  16 shared

• Joseph T. Barr

  The Ohio State University

  13 shared

• Barbara A. Fink

  13 shared

• Gilbert E. Pierce

  SUNY College of Optometry

  13 shared

• Karla Zadnik

  13 shared

• Mark A. Bullimore

  University of Houston

  11 shared

• Timothy B. Edrington

  Marshall B. Ketchum University

  11 shared

Labs

• Karla Zadnik Academic Research in OptometryPI

Education

• Ph.D., Ophthalmology

  University of California, Berkeley

  1992

• M.D.

  University of California, San Francisco

  1987

• B.A.

  University of California, Berkeley

  1983

Awards & honors

• Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry
• Diplomate of the Academy’s Low Vision Section
• Founded the Low Vision Educator's Special Interest Group of…