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Last week it was reported that two of the biggest names in optical education, Replay Learning and Optician have joined forces to create four one-day clinical conferences this autumn. The conferences are suitable for optometrists, DOs and contact lens opticians, and feature a wide range of lectures, live demonstrations and debates relevant to everyday practice.

Bradford will host the first of these on Sunday, September 23. Beginning the morning session, Tim Hunter, head of optometry services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust, will review advanced fitting of rigid gas-permeable lenses. As part of his work at the hospital, Hunter fits scleral, RGP and specialist soft contact lenses to adults, children and babies. He will include case studies from the HES, guidance on fitting advanced RGPs, critical parameters required for fitting and the benefits and disadvantages of advanced RGPs for specific cases, such as kerataconus high astigmatism scarred and irregular corneas.

John Davidson, a Newcastle private practice optometrist, will cover complications in contact lens practice. Davidson will use images, video and live demonstration to help the audience select the best plan of action. The key areas covered include alleviating lid margin disease and the differential diagnosis and management of mechanical complications and inflammatory events.

Alternative morning session lectures will cover progressive power lenses and childhood squints. There will also be two manufacturer-sponsored seminars. In the first, sponsored by Essilor, Andy Hepworth will discuss glass photochromic technology and will look at how modern day plastic variable tint lenses work. The problems of chronic ocular exposure to UV will also be discussed.

Bill Harvey, Optician clinical editor, will present the other morning seminar on optical coherence tomography. This remarkable technique uses optical interference to show a cross-section through the tissues of the retina and other ocular structures. Harvey will will use the Optovue OCT from Grafton to illustrate his talk.

The lunch-time session includes the supplier exhibition and the popular case histories poster quiz. There will be 12 cases for optometrists and 12 cases for DOs to discuss.

The first lunch-time lecture, 'The Great Specs Debate', will be on internet supply. Chaired by Peter Charlesworth, optometrist and director of Replay Learning, this debate will present the case for and against internet supply of spectacles and contact lenses. Delegates will be given the chance to air their views on the subject. In the second lecture, Ian Cameron, an Edinburgh private practice optometrist, will demonstrate Volk lens technique to help delegates understand how to examine the fundus and how to identify and differentiate between common conditions. In each case, patient management will be discussed.

For optometrists, the afternoon session begins with a talk on the management of red eye by Chris Hemmerdinger, winner of the 2007 Optician Award for outstanding contribution to CET. Ophthalmologist and former optometrist Hemmerdinger will cover the assessment, differential diagnosis, management, and referral of common red-eye conditions. Cases will be presented to develop discussion. College of Optometrists' guidance on the topic will be reviewed, along with relevant evidence from the literature. Referral routes and effective communication between patient, optometrist and ophthalmologist will also be covered. Local ophthalmologist Ishtiyak Mahomed will round off the lecture programme with a review of anti-VEGF therapies. Mahomed will present results of international trials, as well as his own experiences with the new treatments.

For DOs, Robert Cubbidge, Aston University lecturer, will discuss the various materials and properties of spectacle frames, while Mo Jalie will give an overview of free-form lenses. This new technology can be applied at the point of receipt of a prescription order to personalise certain features of the lenses to improve optical and mechanical performance. But is it a real benefit or all just marketing hype?

The afternoon seminars sponsored by Johnson & Johnson and Optos will cover advances in silicone hydrogel contact lenses and retinal imaging. Optometrist Simon Barnard will present cases of peripheral retinal disease and differentiate these from normal variations. Delegates will be encouraged to discuss cases.

Further conferences will take place in Egham, Surrey, on Sunday, October 7, Birmingham on Sunday, October 21, and London on Sunday, November 4. Each conference will feature an exhibition, giving delegates the opportunity to discover products from new and existing suppliers, while catching up with old friends over tea and coffee. Exhibitors include Johnson & Johnson, Bausch & Lomb, Optos, Essilor, Grafton, Optimed, Visioncall, Continental Eyewear, Zeiss, See 2020, Orange Eyewear and the Optician bookshop. ●

Places can be booked at the discounted rate of £79 by calling 0870 881 0715. www.replaylearning.com