I hate to sound too sycophantic, but what an excellent conference this year’s Optometry Tomorrow turned out to be last weekend.
The annual conference of the College of Optometrists has been going for the entire time I have been qualified and I remember the first, usually hotel based, events with some fondness. As the College celebrates 40 years since its formation, it was a pleasure to see how far these events have come. The combination of lectures, workshops and seminars was excellent, as was the choice of Telford International, a conference centre I never knew existed but was pleased to find so much more accommodating than the soulless wastelands of the NEC.
Better yet, I learned some new things – always a plus. For example, the pain from cluster headaches is recognised as significantly more painful than most other pains, including that of childbirth. That there is little evidence for migraine triggers such as wine and cheese actually having much influence. That a rare cause of a central serous chorioretinopathy may be a pituitary adenoma, so look out for a bitemporal field loss. That ROCK inhibitors will play a major role in future glaucoma management. That 20% of outpatient appointments are ophthalmological. That, in one audit, 15% of urgent referrals were originally routine referrals that had sat at the GP until someone had chased them up, prompting an urgent referral in order to make up for lost time.
The use of a conference app is something that has been successful in the US in recent years, but it was great to see this in action in Telford too. Look out for a longer review of highlights in the coming weeks. And make a note to attend next year’s conference, but remember, if current climate conditions keep evolving, the event may be
subaquatic.
