User:Isislunsky/sandbox

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Practice Editing Here (Nov 23rd in-class Wiki session work)

 * This is a place to practice clicking the "edit" button and practice adding references (via the citation button).
 * Metamorphopsia

Assignment # 3
1.    Proposed changes
 * Note: You will be emailing your assignment # 3 directly to your tutor, however, please paste a version here that excludes your personal information. This will allow us to support your efforts on Wikipedia prior to editing "live" in the article.

(please see image below)

2.     Rationale for changes

Currently, there are no images on the metamorphopsia Wikipedia page. While written descriptions can aid in describing metamorphopsia to people without a medical background, some readers may not be able to visualize what this symptom looks like (and thus what to watch for if they are concerned they may be experiencing it). The addition of a visual representation of metamorphopsia allows a reader to understand what someone with metamorphopsia would see, thus deepening their understanding of the symptom and making this change necessary. I created this graphic based on a similar graphic from reference 1, combined with a description from reference 2. The description beneath the image clarifies what the image is, and the phrase in brackets identifies the part of the image out of the ordinary. The information for this description was identified in reference 2. Both references are recent textbooks for specialists in related fields (trusted secondary sources)

1.     Ryan, S., Schachat, A., Wilkinson, C., Hinton, D., Sadda, S., & Wiedemann, P. (2013). Retina (5th ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences.

2.     Liu, Grant T., et al. Liu, Volpe, and Galetta's Neuro-Ophthalmology E-Book : Diagnosis and Management, Elsevier, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.proxy.queensu.ca/lib/queen-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5253430.

a.    Areas of controversy

The only potential area of controversy regarding adding this visual representation would be that this is only one example of a metamorphopsic distortion. People might experience metamorphopsia that distorts vision differently, but the group believed having an image to facilitate deeper understanding of the symptom for someone with limited background had benefits which outweighed this risk. Similarly, it is potentially controversial that a medical student, rather than a graphic designer or expert in the field, designed this image. However, the image is explicitly based on descriptions and similar images from trusted secondary sources. The choice not to use and cite an image from these sources was made as each source used an Amsler grid to represent multiple types of distortions (e.g. blur and scotoma), and the group believed only distortions due to metamorphopsia should be included in the image on the Wikipedia page. Thus we believe the decision to add this image is justified.

3.     Critique of source

While both sources identified are reliable secondary sources, neither is without potential bias. Retina, being a textbook primarily associated with retinopathies, focused heavily on retina-based reasons one might experience metamorphopsia (e.g., macular degeneration). While this is not incorrect, the textbook did not identify alternative causes of the symptom (e.g., migraine), and the description of metamorphopsia is specifically in the context of retinal pathologies. This is unlikely to greatly alter the information gathered from this source but does potentially bias it. Additionally, the source is over 5 years old (however it does fall within the 7-year limit and is the most up-to-date version of the textbook. Additionally, because the field is highly specialized, a newer edition is unlikely to be generated regularly). Neither textbook has a dedicated chapter/section for metamorphopsia, creating space for gaps in the knowledge and misinterpretation. Like many medical textbooks, both Retina and Liu, Volpe, and Galetta's Neuro-Ophthalmology E-Book : Diagnosis and Management do not cite every sentence as Wikipedia would, and some of the facts published in the textbooks may be based on biased clinical experience and expertise. Nonetheless, these resources are both relatively or very recent, well-cited textbooks from a reliable academic publisher (Elsevier), making them trustworthy secondary sources.

4.     Article Improvement

My proposed improvements and references have been shared on the metamorphopsia talk page.

What to post on the talk page?

 * This will also be covered on Nov 23rd in class. Your group should use the below template to share an outline of your proposed improvements (including your new wording and citations). Article talk pages are not places to share your assignment answers. The Wikipedia community will be more interested in viewing your exact article improvement suggestions including where you plan to improve the article (which section), what wording you suggest, and the exact citation (Note: all citations must meet WP:MEDRS)
 * You will not be able to paste citations directly from your sandbox to talk pages (unless you are interested in editing/learning Wiki-code in the "source editing" mode). We suggest re-adding your citations on the talk page manually (using the cite button and populating the citation by pasting in the DOI, website, or PMID). You will have to repeat this process yet again when you edit the actual article live.
 * Talk Page Template: CARL Medical Editing Initiative/Fall 2020/Talk Page Template