February 2025
As your new Victorian State Lead, I am deeply committed to improving vision health outcomes for children across the state. To achieve this, I need your help to better understand the current state of children’s vision screening in Victoria.
Together with the Optometry Australia team, we’re exploring the successes and challenges of existing screening programs—both those that reach kids pre-school and when they’re in primary school. We also want to learn how optometrists are supporting their local communities to improve children’s access to eye care, spectacles, contact lenses and other supports.
You are the experts, and I’d love to hear from you. Please reach out to me at policy@optometry.org.au to share your perspective, arrange a time to chat, or find out how you can get involved.
Your feedback will play a vital role in shaping our policy recommendations and advocacy work in 2025. Thank you for being a part of this important conversation.
Warm regards,
Isaac Curkpatrick, VIC State Lead.
January 2025
Welcome to 2025! With a packed calendar of events and activities across Victoria and South Australia, OV/SA is ready to support members across all aspects of their professional lives.
Optometry Australia (OA) has developed an exciting new conference calendar which includes the Adelaide Interactive one-day conference in October, and OA’s new flagship conference, the Optometry Clinical Conference, to be held in Melbourne this August.
The OV/SA Regional Series will return, with our first two events scheduled for March – one in Traralgon (Vic) and the other in Noarlunga (SA). Keep an eye on our events page to find out which other regional centres will host this series later in the year. Again, we’ll be offering a matinee and evening session in Melbourne and Adelaide, as part of the Regional Series.
In addition to these in-person events, OVSA members will have access to a wide range of online educational content hosted by OVSA and OA throughout the year. Watch out for details on our events page.
We’re also excited to offer a variety of events for our early career optometrists, including the Immediate Graduates Dinner, Peer Mentoring sessions, student events, and ECOV/SA seminars and webinars.
OV/SA will continue to focus on advocacy in Victoria and South Australia, in particular striving to improve paediatric access to eye care and to support the enhancement and establishment of collaborative models of care that meet patient needs. Improvements to the GlassesSA program (for which OA advocated last year) came into effect on 1 January 2025, marking a positive start for the year. These efforts reflect OV/SA’s full commitment to advocating for high-quality eye care, in every community.
OV/SA will also support OA’s upcoming myopia consumer awareness campaign, ensuring that Victorian and South Australian families are exposed to the campaign’s key messages – to get kids off screens, outside and to visit their local optometrist.
We look forward to keeping you updated via Snapshot e-newsletters, Facebook, LinkedIn and our new SMS CPD information platform. Remember, experienced optometrists are available via our Advisor Help Desk to assist with clinical, ethical and professional questions.
Cassandra Haines, SA State Lead
Isaac Curkpatrick, VIC State Lead
9 October 2024
There’s now a ‘T’ in ECOVSAT! That’s because the early career optometrist committees from Optometry Victoria South Australia (OV/SA) and Optometry Tasmania (OTas) have joined forces. The aim is to provide even better services to help graduates transition into the workforce and to support young professionals as they navigate the first ten years of their careers.
Madeline Baker and John De Francesco will be stepping down from their positions as ECOVSAT Committee members, and we sincerely thank them for their contributions over the past few years.
Let’s welcome the following new members to the ECOVSAT Committee. We look forward to having them join this vibrant committee, which organises events, networking opportunities, and provides information specifically for early career optometrists.
Erica Barclay (Vic)
Practice location/type: ACO (clinical and research, public health), Melbourne Eyecare Clinic (clinical education, university teaching clinic), Eyecare Plus Cranbourne (private practice).
Areas of interest: Specialty contact lenses, children’s vision, myopia control, clinical education.
‘I’m looking forward to joining the ECOVSAT committee. Given my interest in clinical education, I especially want support peers making the leap from student to independent clinician, as it is one of the biggest challenges for early career optometrists.’
Ava Ward (Vic)
Practice location/type: Horsfalls Optometrists, Echuca and Kyabram.
Areas of interest: Working in regional areas. ‘In a given day I can be co-managing a glaucoma patient, fitting RGP lenses, removing a foreign body—and everything in between!’
Lynn Qian (Vic)
Practice location/type: Specsavers Stawell.
Special interest: Rural optometry, interdisciplinary eye care, neuro-optometry.
Jessica Healy (Vic)
Practice location/type: Pezzimenti Nixon Optometrists, Melbourne.
Areas of interest: Practicing full-scope optometry and particularly working with children.
‘With a range of experience in various practice settings, I hope to represent the interests of early career optometrists who seek a fulfilling and sustainable career in optometry.’
Sophie Bach (Tas)
Practice location/type: Burnie.
Special interest: Paediatric eye care and public health.
Nicholas Wilson (Tas)
Practice location/type: Specsavers, Launceston.
Special interest: Managing anterior eye diseases, collaborative care between allied health professionals and optometrists, and binocular vision.
Timothy Nguyen (Tas)
Places of practice: Island Optical, Hobart. Locum optometrist throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Special interest: Paediatrics, dry eyes, rigid contact lens fitting, glaucoma co-management.
Contact ECOVSAT
20 April 2024
A new OV/SA Looking Outward on Optometric Knowledge (LOOK) Local Scholarship has been established to facilitate Australian-based study tours for an OV/SA financial member. The Scholarship is intended to directly improve eye health of local communities throughout Victoria and South Australia.
The successful applicant will receive $1,500 to investigate innovative advancements in the practice of optometry (including in clinical practice, patient management, eye health and disease diagnosis, or technology) which could be readily implemented in the applicant’s local area. These optometric advancements will not yet be widely or readily available in the applicant’s community.
Find out more and apply here.
26 March 2023
Ahpra and the National Boards released a revised shared Code of Conduct which took effect in mid- 2022. The revised Code includes a new section on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and cultural safety, requiring that all optometrists provide culturally safe and sensitive practice for all communities. Cultural education further supports self-reflection and the integration of culturally safe and responsive care into practice.
Indigenous Allied Health Australia’s (IAHA’s) Cultural Responsiveness Training uses an evidence-based framework to guide practitioners through action-oriented and highly interactive levels of learning, focusing on strength-based outcomes through critical self-reflective practice.
OV/SA is offering 22 members the opportunity to undertake Levels one and two of the training. Both levels are fully online, can be undertaken at a time of your choosing, and provide up to eight hours of non-clinical CPD (three non-clinical hours for Level 1 and five non-clinical hours for Level 2).
Places will be allocated on a first-in basis, so you are advised to move quickly. To express your interest please email: office.vicsa@optometry.org.au
12 March 2023
Following the Department of Transport and Planning’s advice to Optometry Victoria South Australia last year that it was enhancing the security of the online medical report for patient Fitness to Drive assessment, the Department has confirmed that the update to the security of the online medical report will come into effect on 6 April 2024.
While improving the security of the system is necessary to keep your information and your patients’ information as safe as possible, the Department has assured health professionals that the system will stay simple, convenient and easy to use.
What you need to do from 6 April 2024
From 6 April 2024, optometrists will need to create a secure log-in by visiting the medical report webpage. You will need to have your Ahpra number, date of birth, email address and mobile number for multi-factor authentication (MFA) notifications ready to go.
Once you have created your secure log-in, you will access the online medical report for all subsequent log-ins using only your email address and a password.
The Department has recommended that all health professionals currently using the system, or are likely to use this system in future, create an account as soon as possible on or after 6 April 2024 to ensure continued access and a smooth transition to the online medical report with upgraded security.
What you need to do before 6 April 2024
You will need to ensure that you complete and submit all current draft reports by 5 April 2024, or you will no longer have access to them. After 6 April, for any unsaved reports, you will need to create a new report and start again.
Draft reports created after 6 April will be available in the system for 30 days for you to complete and submit. (Please note that draft reports were previously available for 60 days).
If you who would like access to previously submitted reports from the past two years, you should send a request to the DTP Medical Review Team at medicalreview@roads.vic.gov.au. If you experience any issues creating a secure log-in from 6 April 2024, please contact DTP Medical Review on 03 8391 3226.
To find out more about how to use the online medical report, visit the Information for health professionals webpage.
December 2023
The Optometry Victoria South Australia (OV/SA) Board has announced new office bearers for the forthcoming year.
President – Timothy Lo
Vice President – Dr Anne Weymouth
Treasurer – Kristin Guppy
Directors – Laura Carson, Simon Hanna, Stephanie Callisto, Elise Pocknee-Clem and Andrew Anderson
Associate Board Director – Isaac Curkpatrick.
Cassandra Haines has resigned her director position and stepped into a newly created State Lead role for South Australia, with Optometry Australia.
Elise Pocknee-Clem has retired from the role of President of OV/SA and remains a Board Director. Incoming President Timothy Lo paid tribute to Elise, saying ‘Elise’s commitment to optometry through both OSA and OV/SA boards, including president terms of 5 years and 4 ½ years respectively, has been unwavering. Her leadership has been critical at a time of change for the organisation.’
Read the full story including board profile here.
November 2023
With the integration vote passing at July’s General Meeting, Optometry Victoria South Australia (OV/SA) and Optometry Tasmania (OTas) formally integrated with Optometry Australia (OA) on Wednesday 1 November.
OA will now deliver member services, CPD sessions and events, local advocacy efforts and communications for Victorian and South Australian members. The OV/SA and OTas Boards will remain separate from OA and will retain oversight over the delivery of services to members from within their respective states. OA will continue to provide established services for OV/SA members, and optometry members nationally, including PII and a comprehensive online CPD calendar.
Here are some of the key changes members should be aware of:
State Leads
As part of this integration, three new ‘State Lead’ positions have been created, marking an important step towards maximising benefits to members and reinforcing local connections. These State Lead roles will be held by Lyn Hsieh (Victoria), Cassandra Haines (South Australia) and former OTas CEO Jonathan Jones (Tasmania).
Read more about the new State Leads here.
OV/SA committees
State Advisory Committee Victoria South Australia (SACV/SA) and Early Career Optometry Victoria South Australia (ECOV/SA) will continue and remain important channels for our member optometrists. The OV/SA CPD committee will continue to provide valued advice on the development of the CPD program for events in Victoria and South Australia education team. These committees will be supported by members of the OA team.
View these committees here.
Contact details for members from Victoria and South Australia are unchanged:
Tel: (03) 9652 9100
Email: office.vicsa@optometry.org.au
Members are also reminded they can access the OA member helpdesk to assist in all facets of professional practice.
October 2023
Businesses now have a ‘positive duty‘ to eliminate discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace. Starting on 12 December, the Australian Human Rights Commission has new powers to investigate and enforce compliance with the positive duty under the Sex Discrimination Act. To help members understand and comply with these obligations, OV/SA has developed a new resource which you can download here.
Further reading is also available on the OA website. For detailed information about the positive duty under the Sex Discrimination Act visit the Commission’s website.
October 2023
The OV/SA Board is made up of both Victorian and South Australian members, and will participate in strategic planning as well as overseeing delivery on the Services Agreement by Optometry Australia under the operational integration model that was recently approved by the membership.
In advance of the AGM on 8 November, two vacancies for both South Australia and Victoria are up for re-election. If the number of nominees for a state exceeds the amount of vacancies, an election is held. This cycle, we received three nominations for the two Victorian vacancies.
Election required for two positions.
No election required.
OV/SA members will have received an email from BigPulse, the secure voting platform, regarding the process of submitting their electronic ballet. Members have until 12 October 2023 to submit their vote, with results to be announced the the OV/SA AGM on 8 November. If you are an OV/SA member and have not received your voting email from BigPulse, contact the team at office.vicsa@optometry.org.au.
The voting period runs from 4 October to 12 October 2023.
August 2023
As part of its commitment to culturally responsive care, Optometry Victoria South Australia has issued a statement in support of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and The Voice to Parliament.
Statement from the Board
Optometry Victoria South Australia is committed to ensuring excellent eye health and culturally responsive vision care for all patients across Victoria and South Australia. We acknowledge that more work needs to be done to close the gap in health outcomes between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous members of our community. We also recognise the role of policy in relation to health outcomes. To this end, we acknowledge the importance of recognising the original inhabitants of this land in our country’s constitution and we support the Uluru Statement from the Heart and The Voice to Parliament, both of which form a positive step towards self-determination and improvement in health outcomes.
We recognise that Optometry Victoria South Australia members and other stakeholders will form their own view on how to vote in the upcoming referendum. We also acknowledge that the majority of Indigenous groups are in support of The Voice. Referendums are historically thoroughly debated in Australia. However, we are aware that there is a growing amount of misinformation being circulated about the Voice and we encourage all members to seek reliable information to inform your vote (some links are provided below). Notwithstanding this, we believe that formal recognition in the nation’s constitution and a Voice to Parliament is important for the process of reconciliation and ensuring fair and equitable access to eyecare for all in our two states.
Further information
As the largest consensus of First Nations peoples on a proposal for substantive recognition in Australian history, the road to the Uluru Statement from the Heart is a long one even without mentioning the decades of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander activism that came before it. The Uluru Statement from the Heart was released in 2017 after a constitutional convention with 250 First Nations representatives, informed by prior consultations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups all around Australia.
Resources
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In the spirit of reconciliation Optometry Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.