A Comparison of Binocular Indirect Ophthalmoscope and Performance on National Boards Part 3

Background: The purpose of this study is to investigate if there is a difference in performance when optometry students perform a binocular indirect ophthalmoscope (BIO) examination using their personal BIO versus using a video BIO. We are also investigating whether or not these students feel as though the video BIO is a fair assessment of their performance for the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) Clinical Skills Exam. Methods: Twenty-five participants were given 10 minutes to familiarize themselves with the video BIO. Participants then performed two fundus examinations; one with their personal BIO with teaching mirror and one with the Keeler Vantage Plus video BIO. Performance was graded by both of the co-investigators and compared. The participants were also asked to fill out surveys comparing their comfort and confidence levels with their personal BIO as well as the video BIO before and after using it. Results: The results of this study show that participants are significantly more comfortable using their own BIO as compared to the video BIO. While comfort with the video BIO was low initially, it did increase after practice using the video BIO. Participants in our study performed significantly better with their personal BIO as compared to the video BIO, however, this did not appear to be reflected in part 3 NBEO boards scores, as the majority of the participants of the survey were able to pass the exam. Conclusions: While students feel more comfortable with their personal BIO, the use of the Video BIO does not appear to negatively impact a candidate’s ability to successfully pass the BIO station on the clinical skills exam of part 3 NBEO.