Review Article
Year: 2020 | Month: August | Volume: 7 | Issue: 8 | Pages: 320-329
Malingering or Simulation Testing Methods in Optometry: An Indian Scenario
Pant Kamal1, Khan Salal2
1Associate Professor & HOD; 2Optometry Scholar, Department of Optometry, UP University of Medical Sciences, Saifai.
Corresponding Author: Pant Kamal
ABSTRACT
Aim: To describe various methods of eye related test used to identify psychogenic visual impairment &/ or malingering. Malingering in Optometry manifests either as imitating an ocular disease or as contradiction of ocular disorder. In all cases of imitating or denial of ocular disease, there is only one reason i.e. Social as well as economic benefits and advantages.
Material & Methods: Narrative review was done to review the articles available on the PubMed related to the Indian scenario about the various methods of malingering identification and strategies to deal with malingerers. Peer reviewed articles/ studies were referred to ascertain the available screening tests for malingering patients.
Results: Some authors suggest that malingering is a manifestation of underlying psycho-pathology. Every Ophthalmologist/Optometrist can face with simulation suspect. The Eye care professional’s responsibility is to prove the simulation considering the disease/disorder first and simulation later.
Conclusion: Malingerer does everything to cheat Ophthalmologist/Optometrist. Commonly it is associated with concurrent diagnosis of depression, anxiety, panic, attack and psychiatric disorders, etc. Diagnosing the malingering patient is much more difficult so the subjective as well as objective test should be carried out properly. These tests mainly help us to confirm about the malingering nature of patients and prove that they are having normal vision.
Keywords: Malingering, Simulation, Eye-care, Optometry, Subjective and Objective.
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