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Optometrists not only have a critical role to play, but a responsibility to contribute to public health and to the specific health needs of Indigenous peoples, as is now highlighted in the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency shared ‘Code of Conduct’. This session will synthesise contemporary research and viewpoints from a special issue in Clinical and Experimental Optometry on public health and Indigenous eye health. Culturally safe eye care practice (now mandatory in the curriculum of Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand optometry school programs), innovative and evidence-based models of eye care delivery (e.g., Aotearoa Vision Bus, Lions Outback Vision Service, as well as glaucoma and diabetes collaborative care) and children’s vision services (e.g., Paediatric Optometry Alignment Program) will be showcased, with particular emphasis on partnership with Indigenous scholars, researchers and community. From the special issue, it is clear that there is much momentum, with multiple strengths-based initiatives and approaches designed to improve access to culturally safe eye care services. However, there is more work to be done. First and foremost, as individual optometrists and as a profession, we must do more to develop meaningful reciprocal relationships, where the ways in which inequities in Indigenous eye health are tackled is self-determined (tino rangatiratanga) by Indigenous partners. Likewise, we must put consumers and communities at the heart of all efforts to resolve a wide range of public health needs in eye care.

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This presentation will discuss the Ultra monthly family of lenses, reviewing the benefits and features of this monthly extended wear lens and how the technology will benefit patents to live better and see better.

Contact lenses can not only provide excellent vision correction, but can be used to help manage ocular diseases and conditions such as dry eye or allergy by delivering drugs.  In addition, technology is now at the point where electronics are being added into lenses to help diagnose diseases and interact with virtual reality. However, the hope of these new smart contact lenses has often been blunted by the reality of market forces. 

 

In this presentation, we will provide an overview of advances in drug delivery contact lenses (with at least one now for sale) and explore the hurdles that have seen the development of many smart lenses being stopped.

 

While cancer survival rates continue to improve with better diagnosis and treatment, debilitating side effects can occur especially with systemic anticancer drugs. This presentation covers the various anticancer drugs relevant to our patients treated for cancer, and the prominent complications that could arise from these treatments.

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The demands on the binocular vision system are different when wearing spectacles compared to contact lenses, and also differ with contact lens design. This presentation will explore how contact lenses in general, and different contact lens designs, affect the binocular vision system. 

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In 2018 around 12.5 million Australian adults were classified as obese.  Most notably, 41% of adults aged 65-74 were obese. Given that a significant proportion of eye disease also occurs in the older population, it is important that optometrists understand the role obesity plays in eye disease.

This presentation will detail the role obesity plays in both the incidence and progression of eye disease.  It will subsequently assist practitioners in modifying examinations and patient management appropriately based on the presence of obesity.   

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By the end of this presentation, participants will have a better understanding of:

This presentation highlights the importance of product and business model innovation in improving patient retention in optometry practices. The presentation focuses on ACUVUE Eye Inspired Innovations that enable patient retention through their contact lens experience as well as MyACUVUE, a business model innovation which actively supports practices with patient retention. Combining both offerings from ACUVUE can maximise patient retention in optometry practices. 

ACUVUE has a reputation for its innovative product offerings. These products have been developed with a focus on improving the comfort and convenience of contact lens wearers, which has helped ACUVUE build a loyal customer base.

In addition to its product innovation, ACUVUE has also embraced business model innovation to improve patient retention. For example, the company has introduced MyACUVUE, which allows patients to receive additional value when purchasing contact lenses with their preferred optometrist. This service has improved patient loyalty and retention for optometry practices. 

Overall, the presentation emphasizes that product and business model innovation can play a critical role in improving patient retention in optometry practices. By focusing on enhancing the patient experience and actively prompting patients’ return to the practice through tools like MyACUVUE, optometry practices can build a loyal customer base and drive growth in their businesses. 

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At the completion of this CPD Activity, participants should be able to

This presentation will highlight common pitfalls in the management of myopic patients with cataracts in optometric practice. Numerous clinically relevant and practical tips will be provided to guide optometrists in the assessment, counselling, referral and long-term management of patients with myopia and cataract.
 
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There is a rise in prevalence of myopia especially in the Asia Pacific region. Myopia related optic disc changes are difficult to differentiate from glaucomatous changes. Recent advances which aid in the diagnosis and management of glaucoma in the setting of myopia will be discussed.

This presentation will encourage optometrists to consider the many different methods of presbyopia correction with contact lenses, both from the theoretical perspective as well as from the perspective of a real-life contact lens wearing presbyope – me! Participants will learn the visual optics logic and the clinical fuzzy logic required to navigate their way through prescribing contact lenses for presbyopia. Covering custom presbyopia correcting contact lenses through to how to use shopping bags to assess your success, this is a lighthearted look at an important part of optometric contact lens practice.

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Do you REALLY know what an autoimmune disease is? Many immune diseases affect sight and eye related quality of life but few are truly autoimmune. The innate and adaptive immune systems play a role, as do microbes around the eye and elsewhere. By understanding a few important concepts around the inflammatory disease spectrum, you can have a meaningful impact on eye health.

90% of contact lens wearers report hearing information from their practitioner, yet 80% of wearers are non-compliant.  In this presentation, we will discuss tools and skills to better communicate contact lens compliance along with the latest corneal infection risk factor data, from behaviours to immune defences with microbes taking advantage of both. Find out why we are campaigning to change the term compliance to adherence and what this might mean for your practice. 

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How can neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Parkinson’s Disease impact eye health, and how can optometrists help? This presentation aims to help optometrists who see people living with dementia or Parkinson’s Disease “every now and then”, by providing an overview of these two most common neurodegenerative diseases and how they can interact with eye health. Alongside this, helpful information is provided from recent research to support provision of primary eyecare for people with cognitive impairment.

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The MiSight 1 day clinical trial is one of the longest studies of soft lens myopia management conducted. Its three-part study design allows for a level of analysis unavailable in shorter, more conventional investigations.  This presentation delves deeply into the data set to answer several key questions applicable to myopia management in general and MiSight 1 day in particular.

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This presentation will discuss the patient outcomes with trifocal IOLs and how a patient’s expectations impact on their satisfaction post cataract surgery. Presented by an optometrist and a surgeon who work in the same practice, they will describe how each profession can work collaboratively with the other to optimise patient outcomes.

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