Collection of papers about the development of the logMAR Visual Acuity Calculator and examples of versions of this calculator
 Catalogue Number: 2843 Collection of papers about the development of the logMAR Visual Acuity Calculator and examples of versions of this calculator Category: Equipment Sub-Category: Visual Acuity, Contrast sensitivity tests Author: JOHNSTON Alan William Year Of Publication/Manufacture: 1980 to 2014 Time Period: 1940 to 1999 Place Of Publication/Manufacture: Melbourne Description Of Item: This collection includes several versions of the logMAR Visual Acuity Calculator devised by Dr Alan Johnston AM together with a number of near vision test reading cards and related explanatory papers. The collection includes (1) 3 pages of explanatory notes on the background to the calculator with 13 references written by Alan Johnston in 2016, (2) a copy of a paper in Aust J Optom 1984; 67:75 describing the calculator, (3) 4 page explanatory unpublished paper printed both sides, undated, with the NVRI logo on the last page, (3) the NVRI version of the Calculator, two sided, one side for the distance visual acuity calculator and the other for the near vision calculator, (4) a two-sided distance and near calculator published by Dr Johnston's East Melbourne Optometry and Low Vision Centre with the support of Bayer (5) a logMAR near vision test chart using Chinese characters, (6) a logMAR high contrast near vision chart based on the original Bailey-Lovie near chart but using words that indicate when the type size is used (eg headlines, book title, large print book etc) and with a high contrast typeface on one side and a 10% contrast version on the other side, one copy published by East Melbourne Optometry and Low Vision Centre and the other by the Medical Journal of Australia (7) two DL sized versions of the distance and near calculator, one in a trimmed DL envelope published by East Melbourne Optometry and Low Vision Centre (8) a high and low contrast near vision chart on two sides of an A4 sized card, published by Alan Johnston of Barabool Road Highton Victoria Historical Significance: Alan Johnston graduated in optometry at the University of Melbourne in 1963. He went into private practice but returned to do a Masters degree and then a PhD degree. He was a research fellow funded by the Australian Road research Board in Professor Cole's ergonomics laboratory while enrolled as a PhD student. He was appointed lecturer in the Department of Optometry in 1974 and became well regarded as a clinical teacher and an expert in low vision. He served as Clinic administrator for some years and as Associate Dean Research in the Faculty of Science. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in recognition of his contributions to low vision care. He became an Associate Professor and resigned in 2000 to enter private practice. The LogMAR visual acuity system developed by Ian Bailey and Jan Lovie in the early 1970s enables the prediction of the magnification (or near add) needed for a person with low vision to be able to read a target size of print or target distance visual acuity. A practitioner with a good grasp of the LogMAR system can do the prediction in his or her head, but in the early 1980s Alan Johnston developed a simple sliding calculator to make the prediction and over the years has refined it and published newer versions, the last in 2014 when the ETDRS nomenclature for visual acuity came into use. The 2014 version is included in this collection. How Acquired: Donated by Alan W Johnston AM, member of the College Date Acquired: April 2016 Condition: Very good Location: Archive office. Pamphlet and ephemera filing cabinet. Drawer 7 |