MAHSLIN Expert Searcher

Expert Searching: Ophthalmology

Page created by Kathy Kennedy and Cindy Hutchison

Databases

  • Embase
    International bibliographic database indexing both biomedical and pharmacological subjects

  • VisionCite
    A citation index to journal articles about optometry, ophthalmology, contact lenses, reading, perception, and other vision related subjects compiled by the Illinois College of Optometry Library. There are no abstracts. VisionCite contains over 199,999 articles.

  • Visionet
    Contains citations of journal articles, books and slides located at the Southern College of Optometry. Subject areas include vision science, contact lenses, eye disease, optometry and ophthalmology dating back to 1976. No abstracts or full text articles available on line, but may be ordered from the SCO Library for a fee of $5.00. Books and slides are for information purposes but cannot be provided by the Library.

  • Science Citation Index Expanded (ISI Web of Science)
    1945-present. Provides current and retrospective multidisciplinary information covering journal literature from the sciences. It indexes approximately 8,500 journals and provides access to the Science Citation Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index and Arts & Humanities Citation Index.

    Search Strategies/Tips

    The MeSH vocabulary indexes eye terms in various locations in its "tree structure". When doing a comprehensive search on eye topics in Medline or Pubmed, consulting the     MeSH browser is very helpful.

    Places to Start in MeSH:
  • Eye Diseases (C11.)
  • Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological (E01.370.380)
  • Eye (A09.371 or A01.456.505.420)
  • Ocular Physiology (G11.697)
  • Refraction, Ocular (E01.370.380.850.700) or the more general Optics (H01.671.606)
  • Vision
  • Visual Perception
  • Ophthalmic Surgical Procedures (E04.540)
  • Optometry
  • Orthoptics
  • Ophthalmology

    Using other databases, be sure to check for a specialized thesaurus. If no thesaurus exists, you may need to OR together the various terms or their variations needed for retrieval such as eye, ocular, optical, ophthalmic, optometric, visual, and vision.

    Webpages strong in searching this subject

  • American Academy of Ophthalmology-- Information and links on visual health for both patients and professionals.
  • AVSL Eye Resources on the Internet-- Comprehensive listing compiled on behalf of the Association of Vision Science Librarians and maintained by the
    University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.
  • AVSL Opening Day Book Collection-- Recommended books, journals and audio-visuals for a vision science basic collection.
  • AVSL Subject Index-- Selected lists of resources in each of the subject areas maintained by AVSL members. These complement the full alphabetical resource
    list maintained in IOWA.
  • Eyetext-- International site –access is free but restricted to eyecare professionals and trainees. Ophthalmic live discussion (Chat rooms) available to members.
    Includes such things as image database, calendar of ophthalmic events, and monographs rated by users.
  • MedBio World-- Links by specialties (including Ophthalmology) to medical journals, associations, and the latest in medical news items.
  • National Eye Institute Statistics and Data-- Good source of statistical information for eye diseases in the U.S.
  • One Hundred Important Ophthalmology Books of the 20th Century-- Ophthalmic books arranged chronologically, then by anatomic order from the front of the
    eye to the back with book descriptions.

    Journal articles about searching in this specialty

  • Duffel, PG: Finding information in the medical literature. Insight. 1995 Jun;20(2):21-4 PMID 7650408
  • Duffel, PG: Searching for articles in the medical literature. Insight. 1995 Oct;20(3):20-7 PMID 7594914
  • Duffel, PG: Meeting the challenge of finding resources for ophthalmic nurses on the World Wide Web. Insight. 1998 Dec;23(4):109-13 PMID 11868936
  • Quilter, JA, Sieving, PC : Searching the literature on cavernous hemangioma of the orbit. Orbit. 1998 Sep;17(3):209 PMID 12048733

    Subject specialists/librarians who will offer search assistance to other librarians

  • Kathleen Kennedy, Howe Library, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
    Phone: 617-573-3664, Fax: 617-573-3370
  • Pamela C. Sieving, Biomedical Librarian/Informationist, National Institutes of Health Library
    Phone: 301-451-5862, Fax: 301-402-0254
  • Cindy Hutchison, New England College of Optometry
    Phone: 617-369-0187, Fax: 617-236-6293