This NAIDOC week (4-11 July), Optometry Australia is celebrating the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We thank First Nations peoples for their continued contribution to optometry and commitment to improving community eye health.
Optometrists have been advised to look for rare but potentially deadly and blinding ‘black fungus’ as well as conjunctivitis linked to COVID-19, and uveitis flares from the disease or vaccination, TLC will hear.
One in five people has suffered concussion and optometrists should be routinely asking patients if they have ever had a concussion because it may affect vision and up to 20 per cent can have visual symptoms lasting more than a year, TLC will hear.
Optometrist Professor Joanne Wood is the 15th recipient of the prestigious H Barry Collin Research Medal for her outstanding contributions in vision, ageing and driving research over three decades.
More than 2,400 delegates and exhibitors registered to attend Optometry Australia’s second virtual conference, Optometry Virtually Connected & Product Showcase 2021 held from 18-20 June. In addition to members, the conference attracted delegates from New Zealand, Fiji, Canada, the USA and 12 Asian countries.
Australian optometrists increased their use of slit lamp breath shields nearly six-fold during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to preliminary results of a survey being released at OVC 2021 this weekend.
Adelaide optometrist and contact lens authority, Associate Professor Tony Phillips has been made a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours. The honour was received during the 50th year anniversary of the approval and sale in the US of the first soft contact lens.
University of Melbourne Doctor of Optometry students are creating colour vision arrangement sets to sell to optometrists to help them diagnose or classify different types of colour vision deficiency and their severity, with funds raised donated to eye care charities.
Prescribers including therapeutically endorsed optometrists and Aboriginal Health Workers will be able to register eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients on the Closing the Gap PBS when changes come in on 1 July 2021.
Melbourne optometrist Paul Croucher is urging more optometrists to manage intermittent exotropia with spectacles, saying the treatment works 60 to 70 per cent of the time, improving the condition and avoiding surgery.
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.
