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Berkshire LOC CPD Evening – Bookings now open

8 February 2023

Berkshire LOC would like to invite its members to a CPD event on Tuesday, 14th of March at Wokingham Cricket Club.

Please join us to hear from Professor Bruce Evans and Sarah-Lucie Watson. There will also be an opportunity to take part in a Peer Review. Please see the agenda below for further details.

5.30 – 6.00 Arrival and refreshments

6.00 – 7.00 Bruce Evans lecture – Myopia control: the new standard of care?

7.00 – 8.00 Sarah-Lucie Watson lecture – OCT: developing your skills

8.00 – 8.15 Comfort break/refreshments

8.15 – 9.30 Peer review – Welcome to post-pandemic clinical practice!

9.30 Close

 

6:00pm-7:00pm – Professor Bruce Evans – Myopia Control: The new standard of care?

The World Council of Optometry defines the evidence based standard of care for myopia as including mitigation, measurement and management. They advise the inclusion within practice of: public education and early, frequent discussions with parents that explain:

  • What myopia is
  • Lifestyle factors that may impact myopia
  • The increased risks to long-term ocular health that myopia brings
  • The available approaches that can be used to manage myopia and slow its progression.

This lecture by Prof Bruce Evans will explore the evidence base for myopia control (including the effectiveness of specialist spectacle and contact lenses) to enable the implementation of this standard of care in everyday practice by optometrists and dispensing opticians.

Suitable for Optometrists, Dispensing Opticians and Contact Lens Opticians

1 CPD Point has been applied for.


7:00pm-8:00pm – Miss Sarah Lucie Watson – OCT: Developing your skills

This lecture by Miss Sarah-Lucie Watson is aimed at dispensing opticians and optometrists who use OCT in practice. Sarah-Lucie Watson is a Consultant Ophthalmologist specialising in retina problems who leads the Royal Berkshire Hospital NHS Macula Service. The aim is to build the skills for interpretation of macular OCT scans. This will give clinicians the ability to interpret OCT scans to help enhance management of patients in practice by understanding the appearance of retinal pathology in need of referral and common abnormalities not requiring referral. OCT interpretation and pathology will be explored through case studies where clinicians will have the opportunity to learn how they can benefit from using OCT in practice. This will allow us to talk through clinical decision making and create discussions around management of patients.

Suitable for Optometrists & Dispensing Opticians

1 CPD Point has been applied for.


8:15pm – 9:00pm – Peer Review – Welcome to post pandemic clinical practice!

Facilitated by members of the LOC Committee:

Sean Caskey, Rachel Cooper, Stephen Abery and Harv Sembi

This peer review session aims to help improve your standard of patient care by discussing cases based on real practice with a small group of fellow practitioners. The cases cover three scenarios typical of post pandemic practice: a patient with episodes of blurred vision post cataract surgery who has been unable to access ophthalmology care; a contact lens wearer who has not been seen for several years and presents with intermittent red eye; and a glaucoma suspect whose hospital follow up has lapsed and who is found to have new signs of glaucoma at a routine sight test. You will reflect on how others might have approached the situations. Consideration will be given to ensuring safe, effective patient management.

Suitable for Optometrists & Dispensing Opticians.

3 CPD Points have been applied for.

Event image

We hope you decide to join us on the 14th of March, please book your tickets here:

 

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