OPTOMETRISTS ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA
QUEENSLAND & NORTHERN TERRITORY DIVISION
(INCORPORTATED) ABN 54 009 657 265
58 ST PAULS TERRACE, SPRING HILL QUEENSLAND 4000
TELEPHONE: (07) 3839 4411
FACSIMILE (07) 3839 4499
WEBSITE: www.optomsqld.com
Email: see@optomsqld.com
Awards time again!
Not only does the 3 November 2007 “President’s Graduands Ball and Annual Awards” celebrate the completion of studies by QUT School of Optometry students, but it also provides an opportunity for us to acknowledge our optometric high achievers through a number of Awards.
The Hamlyn R Brier Clinical Optometry Award acknowledges significant clinical contribution by a member. The Hon Bill Hayden AC Queensland Optometrist of the Year Award recognises lifetime contribution by a member. The Professor Sydney BJ Skertchley Award highlights a significant contribution to the profession by a non-optometrist and the OAA Media Medal is a means of thanking a media agency for enhancing the reputation of the profession in the public area.
Recipients do not have to be high profile optometrists, other professionals or agencies. They could be a little known remote optometrist who makes a significant contribution in a local community, or a general practitioner who works closely with optometrists or a small newspaper in Western Queensland that regularly publishes articles on eye care and eye protection.
This could be the year that someone/some agency you care about receives a well-deserved “thank you” from the profession. Nomination forms are at www.optomsqld.com or email greg@optomsqld.com Closing date for applications is 15 October 2007.
Alcon scholarships awarded
Congratulations to Monique Dorman, Bryan Leong, Andrew Robinson and Joanne Stower who were each awarded $2,000 by Alcon Australia to help fund their completion of QUT’s Graduate Certificate in Ocular Therapeutics. Sincere thanks also to the eight other applicants who were not successful in this round of scholarships. The course, which commenced on 3 August, closed with thirty-two enrolments – a great tribute to the men and women who were prepared to invest significantly in the future care of their patients.
The Ipswich and West Moreton Division of General Practice and Queensland Health collaboration, Better Health Diabetes, was officially launched on Wednesday, 15 August with local state member Wayne Wendt presiding.
The initiative has been some five months in the making and involved members from many professions. Optometrist Adam Lusk and Executive Director Greg Johnson represented optometry. The most significant outcome from the exercise was the appointment of a local Diabetes Educator who will coordinate local diabetes patients and care providers. A pleasing outcome for optometry is that all diabetes patients will be referred to local optometrists from the public hospital for evaluation and monitoring with the blessing of the hospital’s only ophthalmologist. It’s a beautiful world! Optometrists to be referred to are on a “list” that Greg compiled some months ago following consultation in the region.
An alarming revelation from the launch is that some Diabetes Educators are reluctant to refer patients to optometrists because they are unsure of the precise role of optometrists or are concerned that they may offend medical practitioners. Moves are underway to convene a meeting of the educators with the goal of introducing them to optometrists, familarising them with optometric training and equ
Low vision practitioners register go-slow
We only received ten listings for the low vision practitioner’s register we are developing. They are:
*Aphrodite Livanes Optometrist, Alexandra Hills
* Helen Summers Optometrist, Fanny Bay
* North Lakes Optometry, North Lakes
* Park Ridge Eyecare, Park Ridge
* QUT Vision Rehabilitation Centre, Kelvin Grove
* Roberts Alexander Optometrists, Caboolture
* Russell Cooper Optometrist, Rockhampton
* Springfield Lakes Eyecare,Springfield Lakes
* Stewart & Leach Optometrists, Browns Plains
* Stuart Macfarlane Optometrist, Logan Central
Recall that representatives from the Queensland Blind Association and Vision Australia brought to my attention the fact that optometry patients are referred to them for assessment. They explained to me that they do not undertake such assessments but rather they provide counselling, support, equipment and low vision devices and expected that optometrists would undertake assessments.
So, if you undertake these assessments and are interested in having clients referred to you please advise the following to Marika at telephone 07 3839 4411 or email marika@optomsqld.com
· practice name
· optometrist name
· physical address
· telephone number
Peter graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Optometry in 1984. Over the following years he combined private practice with a range of academic, clinical research and business interests before his latest challenge as CEO of Neuroscience Trials Australia (NTA). In leading NTA, Peter has become a key figure in the building of a national infrastructure to support clinical trials. Established in 2001, NTA supports clinical research across the neurosciences, including the dementias, epilepsy, migraine, movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular disease, neurosurgery, pain and stroke. NTA provides services to support investigator initiated and commercially sponsored trials in the translation of quality research into clinical practice, with the aim of making a significant contribution to better health outcomes for the Australian community. Peter also holds an MBA, post-graduate qualifications in ocular therapeutics, a Master of Health Ethics and a PhD for corneal topography research conducted within the Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the Lions Eye Institute.
The 28-30 March congress at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre is coming together beautifully and will be ready for launch at the 3 November President’s Graduands Ball and Annual Awards.
Plenary sessions will be held all day Friday and Sunday plus Saturday morning. Ten contrasting small group electives will be convened on Saturday afternoon. A welcome drinks session will be held on Thursday evening 27 March and the Essilor Cocktail Party on Friday evening. The Alcon Australia Breakfast will be held on Saturday and a second breakfast session will be held on Friday (sponsor to confirm, but very likely). The CIBAVision Gala Dinner at Sea World will be held Saturday night with many of the rides and events operating exclusively for QV delegates and families plus return transfers by air conditioned coach. It is estimated that the total CPD points accruing to delegates will be between 42 and 50 and registration for the entire meeting including all the events will be a low $695.
Confirmed presenters are educators Professor Leo Carney and A/Professor Joanne Wood; optometrists Luke Arundel, Paul Brand, Paul Graham, Professor Ed Howell, Kate Johnson, Cassandra Koutouridis, John Mountford and David Stephensen; OD Dr John Schachet (USA); ophthalmologists Dr Andrew Apel, Dr Ioanne Anderson, Dr Sid Finnigan, Dr Frank Howes, Dr Mark Loane and Dr Matt Russell; endocrinologist Dr Sheila Cook; allergist Dr Pete Smith; Dr of Clinical Pharmacy Dr Geraldine Moses; psychologist Professor John Stein (UK); Constable Anita Rowland of “Jet’s Law” fame; ProVision CEO Pauline Powell and ABC television personality Andrew Lofthouse.
Make sure you mark 28-30 March 2008 in your diary!
CIBA staff and OGS make short work of the City to Surf!
Nearly 20 CIBA Vision and Optometry Giving Sight employees and supporters braved ‘Heartbreak Hill’ to compete in the annual Sydney ‘City to Surf’ fun run on Sunday 12th August.
This is the first time Optometry Giving Sight has benefited from fundraising from the City to Surf. The team sported branded t-shirts and joined 64,000 others to run, jog and walk the 14kms from Sydney city centre to Bondi Beach. Supportive colleagues, family and friends sponsored the team raising much-needed funds to give sight to those in desperate need.
CIBA Vision Managing Director, Dan Hammond said, “Optometry Giving Sight is very important to us and it was great to get a team together to support this cause in what is one of the greatest sports events in the world. We are planning to have a huge team next year combining CIBA Vision, Optometry Giving Sight and optometry practice teams into one fun, fundraising team.”
Optometry Giving Sight will direct the funds to sustainable programs that will help people living in countries with little or no eye care. As well as service delivery, funds will be used to train local eye care professionals and develop infrastructure to give sight to the 300 million people around the world who are blind or vision impaired simply due to uncorrected refractive error.
CIBA Vision is the Global Founding Corporate Patron of Optometry Giving Sight.
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The first Australian ‘Prescription Eye Protectors Standard’ was written in 1995 and published in February 1997 as Section 7 of AS/NZs1336. This Standard referred expressly to the manufacture of ‘low impact’ appliances, due largely to the limited availability of lens materials at the time of writing the original draft. Despite its publication and the wide knowledge of its existence, many Optometrists and Dispensers decided to disregard this Standard. The recommendations regarding lens thickness and the required application of frame and lens markings were also almost totally ignored. It appeared that very few were concerned about verifying the performance of the products they supplied by impact testing complete appliances. During this period the OH&S consumer could have little confidence in the quality or performance capability of the items they purchased, a new more specific Standard needed to be developed.
In late 2003 a meeting of the SF6 Standards committee was held in Melbourne, the author attended as an invited ‘Industry Specialist’ guest. During this meeting a basic outline for the development of the new AS/NZs1337.6 Standard was formulated. A three-man sub committee, including the author, was tasked with developing a workable draft for the new Standard. The first draft was delivered to Standards Australia to be massaged into a ‘Standards acceptable’ format in late November 2003. The modified draft was first released for public comment on 3rd June 2004. The public comments received showed numerous self-interest submissions, many involving the use of the generic term Polycarbonate to describe the industry norm, medium impact material. The majority of other submissions were of a pecuniary basis, disputing the costs and complexity involved in producing a compliant product. Others disputed the need to submit frame and lens combinations to pre production and ongoing testing of the manufactured appliance. Following these submissions and an evaluation process, the draft was adjusted to reflect the concerns received. Additionally the lens thickness specification from the public comment draft was replaced with a section which requires the manufacturer to individually test the completed item to determine the acceptable minimum thickness for the lens materials they use.
The AS/NZs1337.6 Standard was published on the 17th of April 2007. This new Standard specifies the testing procedures, required documentation, minimum frame dimensions, impact requirements and frame and lens markings of the completed appliance. It also requires the manufacturer of the appliance to be able to ‘verify’ the compliance of the completed item. Below is a reproduction of the section of the Standard dealing with Frame and Lens markings as well as the notes on verification (note 2).
AS/NZs1337.6 Section 5 Marking
5.1 LENS MARKING
Prescription eye protective lenses produced in accordance with the requirements of this Standard shall be legibly and indelibly marked, preferably close to the edge of the lens, in the upper temporal portion, with the following information:
(a) Manufacturers identifier = name, trade name or mark.
(b) ‘R’ to identify the lenses as prescription eye protectors.
(c) ‘I’ for MEDIUM IMPACT, as applicable.
(d) Other markings required by AS/NZs1337, as applicable.
Markings as used by PSG
5.2 FRAME MARKING
Eye protective frames produced in accordance with the requirements of this Standard shall be legibly and indelibly marked with the following information:
(a) Manufacturer or supplier identifier = name, trade name or mark.
(b) The number of this Standard i.e. AS/NZs 1337.6
NOTES:
1 Methods for marking lenses and frames include, but are not limited to etching, screen printing, scribing and use of permanent (tamper proof) adhesive labels.
2 Manufacturers making a statement of compliance with this Australian/New Zealand Standard on a product, packaging, or promotional material related to that product are advised to ensure that such compliance is capable of being verified.
3 The manufacturer, referred to is Clauses 5.1(a) and 5.2(a) is the assembler of the final product.
The major certifying body in Australia (SAI Global) have stated that to satisfy this ‘verification’ requirement, as referred to in note 2, pre production testing of the frame and lens combinations and ongoing testing on a regular and random basis of run of lab production is required.
In section 6, the Standard specifies that the following lens information is to be included in the documentation which accompanies the appliance when given to the patient. An example of the documentation currently in use by the writer for appliances fitted with Polycarbonate lenses is shown below:
If you as a practitioner manufacture Prescription Safety Glasses (PSGs) in house, and do not have in place an impact-testing program, then it is unlikely that the product you produce can be verified as complying with AS/NZs1337.6. This product is therefore not a Prescription Safety Spectacle according to the Standard and should not be sold as Prescription Safety Glasses.
To ensure that the product you provide your patient is compliant, insist on the documentation and markings as required by the Standard are provided by the manufacturer. It is also good practice to use a manufacturer who has Product Liability Insurance to indemnify you and your practice in the unlikely case of product failure.
To my knowledge there are currently 3 manufacturers of compliant PSGs in Australia and New Zealand. These manufacturers are:
HOYA: Using frames by Cummings Optical and UVEX fitted with HOYA lenses.
Rx Safety: Using frames by Cummings Optical and lenses by Carl Zeiss.
Prescription Safety Glasses Pty Ltd: Using frames by TITMUS, EYRES, UVEX, and PSG own range, lenses are by ESSILOR.
Written by John Moore, Managing Director, Prescription Safety Glasses Pty Ltd. www.rxsg.com Ph: 0418245807
Strabismus Specialist for children available
Strabismus and related visual problems in children is quite common. Anywhere between 3% and 5% of all children have some sort of problems in this area. Of course an adult strabismus is more prevalent than perhaps thought. Many adults do not know that there are surgical options that can often help them with certain types of strabismus.
Childhood strabismus falls into two separate, but often overlapping, groups. The first group is the congenital esotropia. This tends to have no refractive error and is not associated with any amblyopia. Its treatment is essentially surgical to realign the eyes in the hope of obtaining some type of binocular vision. The second broad group is that of accommodational esotropia, which tends to come on usually between the ages of two and four years. This is associated with refractive error, namely hypermetropia. The hypermetropia can sometimes occur without the strabismus. Nonetheless it is often associated with strabismus. If there is any inequality in the refraction between the two eyes, then amblyopia may well be a problem. The main stay of treatment in this group is spectacles. If amblyopia is present then some type of occlusion treatment is required. Surgery is only required for any residual esotropia.
Dr Hilton approached the OAA with this article. He has a particular interest in children and adults with strabismus and related problems and has had for a number of years. He would be pleased to see any adults or children who require assessment or management.
If you have any queries please contact Dr Hilton on 07 33578411.
DR. A.F. HILTON
209 Stafford Road,
STAFFORD. Q 4053
Phone 07 33578411
Also at Albany Creek, Ipswich and Southport.
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USED/UNWANTED SPECTACLES/FRAMES:
OAA Qld/NT collects used spectacles for the ONA Network in Tanzania! Telephone Marika on (07) 3839 4411 for collection
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