New PQEs are to be revealed at AOP's annual hospital conference

The College of Optometrists' deputy secretary will present its new professional qualifying exam proposals at next week's hospital optometrists' annual conference (Nov 3-5). Nicholas de Brunner will present the PQEs to an audience of optical professionals on the opening day at De Vere Daresbury Park Hotel, Warrington. The Association of Optometrists has organised this, the 26th meeting of its kind. Two keynote addresses covering the treatment and co-management of glaucoma in the profession will be made. Professor Adrian Hill, principal optometrist at the Oxford Eye Hospital, will speak on 'How useful is optometrists' referral data for predicting decisions of diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma' on the second day of the conference. And Rosemary Lumb, senior optometrist at Bristol Eye Hospital, will present 'Co-managed care of glaucoma patients - the Bristol experience' on the final morning of the event. Other presentations include 'Referral patterns for low vision services' by Moorfields Eye Hospital senior optometrist Michael Crossland, and 'Contact lenses following ocular trauma' by Helen Kirk, senior optometrist at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital. Spread over three days, the conference will also include a series of workshops and presentations by optical manufacturers. Other workshops include 'The 'new' NHS and clinical governance', 'Children's vision problems', and 'How to survive your pre-registration year'. The venue is beside the north west's M56, at junction 11, with the nearest rail stations at Warrington and Runcorn. - See page 6 for Diary Dates. For a full listing of optical dates for November go to www.optometryonline.net