Presenter Information
Kimberly Tucker, PhD, Philosophy Department at Duquesne University
Abstract
This paper presents a phenomenological study that explores the embodied experience of vision loss within the context of eye disease, while also providing a detailed discussion of the methodological approaches utilized in the research. Phenomenology is integrated to address clinical epistemic concerns, particularly the limitations of conventional vision tests in fully capturing perception and the lived experiences of vision loss. This interdisciplinary approach builds on the clinical understanding of eye disease by incorporating the broader dimensions of the lifeworld that intersect with visual impairment in degenerative eye diseases. While standard clinical approaches focus primarily on measurable aspects of visual function, they often overlook the nuanced, embodied perceptual and subjective experiences of individuals living with vision impairment. To bridge this gap, the study adopts a phenomenologically grounded method, incorporating three distinct phenomenological approaches for developing interview questions and conducting data analysis: front–loaded phenomenology, retrospective phenomenology, and the descriptive phenomenological method. The adoption of this combined approach also prompted the distinction and classification of the various phenomenological methods used in social scientific research. The findings from the pilot study, which employs this integrated approach, highlight essential themes across participants, with a particular focus on disruptions to the habitual body and the habitual lifeworld. The study underscores the necessity for a broader epistemological framework in vision research—one that recognizes objective assessments and the embodied, lived experiences of vision.
School
McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts
Advisor
Lanei Rodemeyer (Duquesne), Jay Chhablani (UPitt), Jose Alain Sahel (UPitt)
Submission Type
Paper
Clinical Applications of Phenomenology: Analysis of Lived Experience of Eye Disease
This paper presents a phenomenological study that explores the embodied experience of vision loss within the context of eye disease, while also providing a detailed discussion of the methodological approaches utilized in the research. Phenomenology is integrated to address clinical epistemic concerns, particularly the limitations of conventional vision tests in fully capturing perception and the lived experiences of vision loss. This interdisciplinary approach builds on the clinical understanding of eye disease by incorporating the broader dimensions of the lifeworld that intersect with visual impairment in degenerative eye diseases. While standard clinical approaches focus primarily on measurable aspects of visual function, they often overlook the nuanced, embodied perceptual and subjective experiences of individuals living with vision impairment. To bridge this gap, the study adopts a phenomenologically grounded method, incorporating three distinct phenomenological approaches for developing interview questions and conducting data analysis: front–loaded phenomenology, retrospective phenomenology, and the descriptive phenomenological method. The adoption of this combined approach also prompted the distinction and classification of the various phenomenological methods used in social scientific research. The findings from the pilot study, which employs this integrated approach, highlight essential themes across participants, with a particular focus on disruptions to the habitual body and the habitual lifeworld. The study underscores the necessity for a broader epistemological framework in vision research—one that recognizes objective assessments and the embodied, lived experiences of vision.