New lab offers opportunity to improve clinical skills

Official opening of Alcon’s vision clinic and surgical laboratory

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By Rhiannon Riches
Assistant Editor

 

Alcon has officially opened a vision clinic and surgical laboratory designed for educational purposes at its Sydney headquarters.

The opening was held on 27 April.

The new facility has been built to provide educational sessions for optometrists, ophthalmologists, nurses and registrars.

The resource for optometrists includes a full vision clinic simulation with patient chair, slitlamp, autorefractor, vertometer, refractive equipment, contact lens fitting equipment, fitting sets and professional fit-out.

The surgical laboratory features Alcon’s latest advancements in phaco and vitreoretinal equipment, intraocular lenses and surgical consumables. This includes Alcon’s latest advanced technology IOLs such as the AcrySof IQ Panoptix and AcrySof IQ Panoptix Toric lenses as well as the Centurion Vision System and Constellation Vision System.

Nadine McArthur is Alcon’s head of marketing and professional affairs, Australia and New Zealand, Vision Care.

Ms McArthur said the new educational facility at Alcon’s head office in Macquarie Park had been designed to offer educational services to eye-care professionals from both a vision care and surgical perspective, including innovative technologies that enhanced patient care. 

‘It will be used to train graduates on existing technologies to improve clinical care skills and confidence levels. The facility is available at no cost to medical non-profit organisations that may not otherwise have access to these types of educational environments,’ she said.

 

 

The surgical laboratory with full IT connectivity offers a hands-on teaching environment and mentoring by experienced Alcon staff and visiting professionals.

Alcon’s managing director, Luxin Wang, and surgical country business head, Karen Fowler, spoke at the official opening.  

Optometrist Margaret Lam from The Eyecare Company; ophthalmologist Associate Professor Geoffrey Painter who lectures at The University of Sydney; and nurse Kerrie Legg, deputy director of clinical services at Dalcross Adventist Hospital, were also invited to speak at the opening.

Alcon conducted demonstrations of its surgical technology in the laboratory as well as comprehensive eye testing for associates in the vision clinic.

A competition was held to name the facility and the winning name, The Focal Point, was announced at the opening.

Alcon is a division of Novartis.