1:30min
Colin Waldron
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By Rhiannon Riches
Assistant Editor
Former OBA chairman takes seat at OCANZ table
The former chairman of the Optometry Board of Australia, Colin Waldron, has been nominated as a member of the Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand.
The OBA nominated Mr Waldron for a three-year term. Mr Waldron was appointed inaugural chairman of the OBA in 2009. He stepped down from the role in August 2015 after completing his second three-year term.
Acting president steps in at ACBO
Stephen Leslie has become the acting president of the Australasian College of Behavioural Optometrists after Bernie Eastwood stepped down as president after serving a one-year term. Both practise in Perth.
A new board will be announced at ACBO’s annual general meeting in Sydney on 23 July.
Enrol for Certificate in Advanced Contact Lenses
Enrolments are open for the Australian College of Optometry’s newly launched Certificate in Advanced Contact Lenses.
The postgraduate level course provides Australian and New Zealand optometrists with a flexible, remote learning syllabus which they can study at their own pace. The certificate includes online lectures, materials and discussion forums, demonstration videos, and a local placement for practical clinical experience.
Graduates will receive post-nominals on completion of the course which is accredited for 48 CPD points, including eight therapeutic points.
For course information see the college website, contact cpd@aco.org.au or phone 03 9349 7477.
Study compares IOP-lowering drugs
A study published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology has compared the intraocular pressure-lowering effect of two different medications in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.
The study compared latanoprostene bunod with timolol maleate.
The authors found that latanoprostene bunod instilled once daily in the evening was noninferior to timolol instilled twice daily over three months, with significantly greater IOP lowering in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.
Emu’s eye view suggests first birds could see UV
Emus can see in ultraviolet, according to an Australian analysis of the cells in the birds’ eyes that detect light.
The study provides a comprehensive description of the spectral sensitivity of the emu, a member of the group of large flightless birds that are thought to represent the basal species in avian evolution.
The study provides definitive evidence that these birds are sensitive to ultraviolet light as they possess UV-sensitive cone photoreceptors, ocular media that allow transmission of UV light, and a UV-sensitive visual pigment.
FDA approves device for presbyopia
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the Raindrop Near Vision Inlay, a device implanted in the cornea of one eye to improve near vision in certain patients with presbyopia.