Optician glaucoma day draws capacity crowd

Optician's first education day at the Institute of Optometry took place last weekend, with a capacity audience receiving practical training in support of the recent glaucoma CET series.

The event featured lectures by Dr Robert Harper and Dr Paul Spry, along with workshops on gonioscopy, disc analysis and imaging with such equipment as the HRT III, the GDx and the Cirrus OCT.

The course was designed to complement Optician's distance learning series published throughout 2008 and included opportunities to put into practice some of the diagnostic and assessment practical skills that were described in the modules.

There was a lively discussion about the proposed NICE guidelines on diagnosis and management of glaucoma, due to be published in April and currently under consultation. Among the many recommendations in the guidelines are a requirement that patients with suspected optic nerve damage or a field defect must be referred to a consultant ophthalmologist for a definitive diagnosis and management decision. Some delegates noted that where an optometrist in future may have independent prescribing rights, they are still bound to refer even in cases where the ultimate diagnosis may be clear-cut.