Booking is well under way for this autumn's clinical conferences, jointly run by Replay Learning and Optician. The conferences include a choice of lectures and seminars for optometrists and dispensing opticians. In previous weeks, there have been reviews of the clinical conference in Bradford on Sunday September 23, and in Egham, Surrey on Sunday, October 7.
There are also conferences in Birmingham on Sunday, October 21 and in central London on Sunday, November 4. This week, we preview the range of lectures planned for the clinical conference at Austin Court, in the heart of Birmingham.
Contact lens complications
To start the morning session, Anna Sulley, optometrist and contact lens practitioner from Farnham, will discuss how to tackle individual complications in contact lens practice. Using images, video and live demonstrations, Sulley will show delegates how to form the best plan of action. Lid margin disease and the differential diagnosis and management of mechanical complications and inflammatory events will be covered. The second morning lecture will be given by local ophthalmologist Sajjad Haider, who will talk on the management of glaucoma in primary care. With the government drive to devolve management of chronic disease to primary care, optometrists are increasingly likely to become involved with the care of glaucoma patients. Diagnostic techniques, medical and surgical interventions and the issues of co-management will be discussed.
Alternative morning sessions include lectures by optometrist Peter Charlesworth and ophthalmologist Ian Simmons. They will cover progressive power lenses and childhood squints respectively. Charlesworth will review the evolution of progressive-power lens design and will outline the advances made possible by modern manufacturing methods. Simmons will discuss the most common presentations of childhood squint and how each can be managed.
The morning session will see two manufacturer-sponsored seminars. In the first, sponsored by Bausch & Lomb ophthalmologist Christopher Brand will review the role of nutrition in the prevention and management of age-related macular degeneration. Brand will review the disease process giving rise to AMD and will present research results to highlight the importance of micronutrients. In the second seminar, sponsored by Essilor, Nick Hornsby will discuss the effects of chronic exposure to UV on the eye and will look at the evolution of variable tint lenses from glass photochromic to modern-day plastics.
The lunch-time session features an optical supplier exhibition and two case history poster quizzes. Comprising 12 cases for optometrists and 12 for dispensing opticians, the quizzes replicate common scenarios and provide a catalyst for clinical discussion. Both are approved for CET. Alongside the exhibition there will be two lunch-time lectures. In the first, Peter Charlesworth will ask 'Are you sure that's legal?' and will review legislation affecting everyday practice. His discussion will include answers to queries such as what professionals should do when asked to provide a PD for a patient to take elsewhere, or when professionals can dispense glasses without a prescription. In the second lecture, Ian Cameron, optometrist and former Optician Award nominee, will demonstrate Volk lens technique. He will also explain how to examine the fundus properly and how to confidently identify and differentiate between common retinal conditions.
The first afternoon lecture will be given by Michael Doughty, research professor at Glasgow Caledonian University, and will cover current issues in ocular therapeutics. Doughty will provide an update on preparations and will focus on dry eye and its management in routine practice.
The final session of the day will take the form of a debate. Shehzad Naroo from Aston University will argue that recent advances in refractive surgery now make it a better option for vision correction than contact lenses. Philip Morgan from Eurolens Research in Manchester will argue against.
In alternative afternoon sessions, dispensing opticians will be able to get 'Up close and personal' with ABDO examiner Duncan Counter as he reviews the individual tailoring of spectacles, from hand-made frames to personalised progressive power lenses. Using a range of products, Counter will look beyond the usual mass-produced products in the search for a more personal solution. Staying with the dispensing theme, Sally Bates, a part-time lecturer at ABDO College, will round off the day by looking at progressive problem-solving. She will give tips and guidelines for investigating and solving common causes of non-tolerance to progressive power lenses.
Case discussion
Afternoon seminars are sponsored by Johnson & Johnson and Optos. The first will explore how silicone hydrogels have become the contact lens material of choice. With an ever-expanding range of products available in silicone hydrogel material, Ian Pyzer will review recent advances in this area and will predict future developments. In the second seminar, optometrist Simon Barnard will present case histories of peripheral retinal disease and will consider how these can be differentiated from normal variations. Delegates will be encouraged to discuss the cases to arrive at a diagnosis and course of management.
All four of the autumn clinical conferences will feature an exhibition of leading suppliers.
? To book your place, call Replay Learning on 0870 881 0715 or book online at www.replaylearning.com