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dispensingoptics Dispensing Optics PO Box 233, Crowborough TN6 9BD Telephone: 0781 273 4717 June 2014 Email: [email protected] Website: www.abdo.org.uk Emma, right-handed Intuitiv Intuitiv TM The only progressive lens that adapts to the postures of right and left-handed wearers It seems so obvious: the posture of a right-handed person is radically different from that of a lefthanded person when writing writing and andusing usingeveryday everydaydevices devicessuch suchasasphones phones tablets, etc. phones,, tablets, The The latest BBGR innovation, innovation, Intuitiv, Intuitiv, takes takes this fundamental difference into account with two cuttingedge technologies: ErgoTech ErgoTech and V VisionBooster isionBooster . By choosing Intuitiv “right-handed” or Intuitiv “left-handed” your customers can increase their useful field of view by up to 35%. TM TM Visual Visual comfort has reached a whole new level. Long live freedom freedom of movement! www.bbgr.co.uk www.bbgr.co.uk Tel: Tel: 0844 880 1349 Always closer 3 dispensingoptics CONTENTS June 2014 Cover point 3 Cover point 4 Continuing Education and Training “No child of mine is wearing glasses!” We hope to build on this successful initiative in the year ahead. Doing what we have set out to do: promoting the skills of Britain’s opticians. 9 Frequently asked questions 10 Diary of a practice refit: part 2 by Robert Callander 12 Experience for long-term gain by Antonia Chitty All eyes on EYE TV News The success of our partnership with ITN Productions in creating EYE TV News is still attracting considerable attention. We continue to get requests for further information as well as messages of congratulations from both members and from colleagues and organisations abroad. Our inclusive approach to promoting the whole sector and, in particular, our emphasis on the importance of the eye examination has been warmly welcomed. The advantage for our members is that we have also been able to concentrate on the importance of dispensing and the need for properly qualified professional advice for patients. We have also been able to highlight areas of high importance such as paediatric dispensing and low vision services. If you have yet to view EYE TV News you can do so via the ABDO website at www.abdo.org.uk/eye-tv-news, or directly by clicking on ‘Eye Health’ at www.healthcarenews.itn.co.uk Patient and practice management 16 Member of the month James Taylor-Short 17 Patient and practice management Why our communities matter by Paul Surridge Change at ABDO College On page 30, we report on the career change by Michelle Derbyshire who after 12 very busy and successful years at ABDO College is leaving to run her newly acquired practice. Naturally, all of her colleagues will wish her well in taking the plunge into practice ownership. She will be greatly missed by all of those who have benefited from her work over the years at the College – and I personally would like to thank her both for all that she has done to help establish the College and for her work on behalf of the profession. Michelle will not, however, be totally free – as she will be working with the Association to help colleagues in our work with the new Local Eye Health Networks. 19 Dry eye preparations: pull-out special An update by Angela McNamee 23 National Optometric Conference Shape eye health at NOC 2014 24 Optrafair London ‘UK Optics plc’ supports new London show 28 Black arts by Peter Black 30 Newsbrief 36 Disjointed jottings from a DO’s desk . . . Magic moments by Shelly Bansal 37 Tony Garrett n Book review The Wills Eye Manual Sixth Edition 38 Local focus for Vision UK 2014 39 Diary of Events ABDO works in Partnership with: ABDO is a member of: Front cover: Shamir Duo™ – A new visual harmony from Shamir ABDO also actively works in conjunction with: The Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers 4 dispensingoptics June 2014 “No child of mine is wearing glasses!” by Ben Brewer BSc (Hons), FBDO CompetencIes covered: Dispensing opticians: Communication, Refractive Management, Paediatric Dispensing Optometrists: Communication Sometimes, in practice, parents of children who have been found to be myopic are reluctant to allow their children to wear their spectacles. This viewpoint can be a result of many different factors – ranging from seemingly-trivial concerns over the cosmetic aspect of wearing spectacles through to worries that wearing a correction of some kind will make the eyes ‘weaken’ or encourage a myopic prescription to increase. As an example, in the author’s practice, a young girl who was found to require around a -2.00D correction in each eye was keen to try contact lenses, to complement her new spectacles. Her father was very much against this idea on the grounds that while spectacles could be removed when not especially required, the more constant correction by contact lenses would encourage her prescription to increase and her uncorrected vision to worsen. In this case, the father had come across some information on earlyonset myopia (EOM) and believed that he was serving his daughter’s best interests by encouraging her to remain uncorrected as much as possible. It’s beyond the scope of this article to examine the exact causes of EOM, other than to summarise general theories and opinions. This only serves, though, as background for the more practical question to review: in terms of a child’s general well-being, is it better to risk an increased level of myopia by having a child routinely wear their correction, or is it better to wear any correction as infrequently as possible? As research into the causes of earlyonset myopia is increasing in frequency, more parents in the same situation are becoming aware of it as a possible factor in their children’s eyecare, and the idea that ‘wearing glasses will make my child’s eyes worse’ is coming up more frequently in practice. Whether a parent is concerned specifically about EOM, or has reservations about their child wearing a correction for other reasons, the standard response from a dispensing optician in practice is normally: “Of course it’s better to wear the correction”. However, it’s worthwhile to actually review and be aware of This article has been approved for 1 CET point by the GOC. It is open to all FBDO members, including associate member optometrists. The multiple-choice questions (MCQs) for this month’s CET are available online only, to comply with the GOC’s Good Practice Guidance for this type of CET. Insert your answers to the six MCQs online at www.abdo.org.uk. After log-in, go to ‘CET Online’. Questions will be presented in random order. Please ensure that your email address and GOC number are up-to-date. The pass mark is 60 per cent. The answers will appear in the October 2014 issue of Dispensing Optics. The closing date is 5 September 2014. C-35557 Continuing Education and Training current literature that, in this situation, offers support for what the dispensing optician’s best course of action should be. Any conclusions can then be used in practice to offer more evidence-backed advice. dispensing bifocals and progressivepower lenses to reduce the accommodation required for near (which have themselves occasionally been shunned by parents on cost or cosmetics grounds). Due to its more frequent discussion by parents, this article will first provide a little background on EOM. Then, in examining the consequences of increased myopia (which parents are often ultimately trying to avoid), research into potential detrimental ocular effects will be complemented by considerations of wider, more generalised differences in quality of life between patients wearing their myopic corrections or not. We can then aim to reach an evidenced conclusion as to whether it is in a young patient’s best interests to correct their myopia to a good level of distance visual acuity, or to leave them uncorrected as often as possible. Other considered factors in EOM have ranged widely from simple hereditary reasons, to time spent outdoors, to the elasticity of the choroid. Small communities have appeared to show variation in myopia to positively correlate with an individual’s amount of near work2; on the other hand, larger, more genetically-diverse communities who all share a higher level of near-work may show a general increased risk of early-onset myopia3, but not at the consistent level to be expected if near work was the only factor. Early-onset myopia Early-onset myopia (EOM) is the name given to a progressive increase of myopia in an individual during their youth – potentially identified from around the age of five, with the prescription sometimes fluctuating until as late as around the age of 21. For myopia in general, the misplacement of the retinal image (forward of the retina) can be caused by one of three factors: 1) the optical system of the eye (the main elements of which are the cornea and crystalline lens) being too powerful; 2) the effective refractive index of the eye being too high; or 3) the axial length of the eye being too long. EOM falls into the third type, a kind of axial myopia, because it is thought to be centred around the eye gradually becoming longer than would be ‘matched’ with the eye’s optical system as the patient grows. Due to apparent stabilisation of EOM at around -3.00D1, initial research into its cause was directed at a potential link between prolonged accommodation during near work (a -3.00D uncorrected myope generally will not accommodate any more for near work) and magnitude of myopia. Dispensing solutions aimed at working within this theory include These are only a sample of theories as to EOM’s cause. Although research into a definite cause is ongoing, this in itself may be a useful point to make in practice. There is certainly little evidence to suggest whether wearing a correction more or less has any effect on the progression of a child’s myopia. Where parents are concerned about their children wearing some form of vision correction, whether concerned about EOM or otherwise, it is worthwhile to examine evidence for how that correction will affect their child’s quality of life. Measuring quality of life Research into the assessment of quality of life outlines that it can offer “important information on the impact of disease and treatment on physical, psychological, and social functioning and well-being”4. These assessments translate a patient’s objective impairments into both objective and subjective descriptions of how much (if any) of a disability or handicap they cause. The same research suggests that, “Quality of life, by its very nature, is idiosyncratic to the individual, but intuitively meaningful and understandable to most people”. There is the suggestion here that if a general description of quality of life with poor visual acuity can be arrived at satisfactorily, then it may be a useful tool in explaining its effects to parents of myopic patients. Assessment of quality of life in children by the children themselves presents a number of problems of its own5 – aside from the potential for children to be less able to understand what is being asked of them, children who are afflicted in some way (however minor) often have no memory of being unafflicted – a ‘base state’ to which their present situation can be compared. This is comparable in optics to children not being aware that their vision is blurred through ametropia, since their vision is ‘normal’ to them. Analysis of quality of life in children as part of a controlled study of any kind also presents many ethical issues, which limit the number of children-based studies available. There are many long-held general principles surrounding childcare and giving children the best quality of life possible; it would be difficult to convince an ethics committee to allow even one child to be deprived of current best practice where a need was shown, in order that they might act as a control subject6. To counter these difficulties, we can instead look at literature that involves not only vision-related quality of life in children, but also comparable adult situations (where a patient’s vision has altered in some way) and lifestyle of children with vision-related problems. This could be used to suggest if there are any patterns in activities or habits amongst different groups of children and judge (although admittedly with a degree of personal bias) whether these activities suggest a better or worse quality of life. Quality of life related to vision In 2011, Lazon de la Jara et al7 presented a study of LASIK patients; LASIK surgery is designed to improve unaided vision, so can be perhaps compared somewhat to dispensing spectacles to improve visual acuity. To be fair, it should be noted that there is a potential bias arising from the fact that all members of this study had actively chosen to have refractive surgery, so can be assumed to have already been dissatisfied with their existing visual acuity (for whatever reason). Continued overleaf 6 dispensingoptics June 2014 The study found, through analysis of quality of life questionnaires postsurgery, a statistically significant correlation between improved unaided vision and a perceived improved quality of life. This improvement could be ascribed to either improved vision, or simply not having to wear the spectacles associated with myopia anymore, so it is only suggested, rather than certain, that the improved quality of life found would be paralleled through the dispensing of spectacles to correct myopia. Perhaps a more direct comparison could be obtained from studies of post-cataract surgery patients in China. The subjects’ visual difficulties that arise from their cataracts cannot be corrected with spectacles and so any difference in quality of life is less likely to be attributed to not having to physically wear them (although phako surgery does generally aim to leave patients emmetropic for distance). A controlled trial by He et al8 suggested that patients with cataracts removed reported a better quality of life than those who remained un-operated on. Although these results were not strictly statistically significant, it can be appreciated that there may be several other factors influencing, for one, the successful outcome of phako surgery; for example, an unsuccessful lens extraction may leave a patient with poorer visual acuity than before surgery. One limitation of this trial is that no mention is made of the subject’s recorded visual acuities before and after the surgery. However, a similar trial showed comparable improvements to quality of life (although over a smaller sample size) in patients whose pre-operative visual acuities range from 6/18 Snellen to 3/609. Although this extends to poorer vision that would be expected with an uncorrected -3.00D myopia, a number of subjects fall within the 6/72 approximately expected in this case and would therefore be more comparable. Although there are similar sample biases to Lazon de la Jara et al’s LASIK study and possible inaccuracies in the comparison between these patients and uncorrected myopic children, this overall meta-analysis of these different pieces of evidence still strongly suggests an improvement in the patient’s perceived quality of life for having better visual acuity, such as that provided by spectacles for myopia; in terms of visual acuity alone, it is likely that improved visual acuity correlates with an improved quality of life. Although expert opinion falls fairly low on the hierarchy of evidence (even if in this case it is formed after the results of several separate studies) it is perhaps worth noting that the World Health Organisation has made specific mention of people’s inability to work due to uncorrected refractive error, the negative impact on quality of life this causes and its potential correction with spectacles10. Despite the issues with measuring quality of life in children, there are some specific aspects that have been studied. Horwood et al11 conducted a study amongst children who suffer with some form of visual defect (including wearing spectacles) and those who do not, reporting on perceived levels of victimisation amongst each group. It was found that 61.5 per cent of children who did not wear spectacles never experienced any victimisation, compared with 53.9 per cent of children who did wear spectacles. This would suggest that being dispensed with spectacles makes a child slightly more likely to be victimised by their peers; the authors of this study do suggest, however, that this could potentially be addressed by simple education programmes for pupils and increased awareness in staff in schools. Another study found, as part of the Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Ethnicity and Refractive Error (CLEERE) project, that children who develop myopia generally spend fewer hours playing outdoor sports, as well as spending more hours playing video games12. It is perhaps subjective to say whether either of these factors is synonymous with a better or worse quality of life, but several studies have shown a link between regular exercise and a reduction in the occurrence of heart disease, as well as other health complaints. One limitation noted by this study is that it is currently unclear whether children partake in more activities involving near vision after first developing myopia because they can more comfortably see near tasks, whether they develop myopia as a result of spending more time viewing near objects while corrected for distance, or whether children who are pre-disposed to myopia are also predisposed towards enjoying playing indoors for some separate reason; this question, as well as possible, more direct links between myopia and general health, is already being explored by further research. Studies begun in 2013 have started exploring the simple relationship between light exposure and myopia, exploring the possibility that it isn’t necessarily physical activity outdoors that helps to stave off early-onset myopia, but perhaps just the amount of time a child spends outdoors13. In a similar vein, there is sometimes concern from parents over their children’s ability to actually take part in an active lifestyle while wearing a pair of spectacles, as shown in Figure 1. Depending on the parent’s specific issues, the dispensing optician has Continued overleaf Figure 1: Wearing a correction should not limit children’s outdoor pursuits MODEL: M018 c1 For more information Tel: 01452 510321 • Email: [email protected] • View online: www.norville.co.uk 8 dispensingoptics June 2014 Figure 2: Protective eyewear is available for children for a variety of activities several potential routes of discussion. There is an ever-increasing range of prescription-ready sports appliances that many dispensing opticians are familiar with, from simple wraparoundstyle frames, to protective spectacles, to swimming goggles. Additionally, a discussion about how readilyavailable sports-specific corrections are (an example is shown in Figure 2) may segue nicely into discussion with parents and children of how equally-common refractive error is within the sports community – ‘people still enjoy an active lifestyle while needing glasses!’ Of course, there is also the possibility, depending on the individual patient, of contact lenses to explore. This is, naturally, down to the contact lens optician’s discretion, but in the author’s practice some of the most keen and compliant patients are young people motivated by experiencing the visual benefits of a myopic correction for the first time. While it would be practically impossible to improve a child’s uncorrected vision while enjoying their particular activity, the benefits of having clearer vision through wearing some method of correction while trying to catch a ball, watch their sporting opponents or understand a swimming instructor, for example, would hopefully be straightforward to outline to parent and patient alike. Conclusions Although research into quality of life amongst children is uncommon, parallel adult studies involving a sudden change to visual acuity strongly suggest that quality of life is improved with improved visual acuity. Available research into the lifestyle habits of myopic children does not make it clear whether these habits would be altered for being dispensed with spectacles, or whether they are related to being myopic by some other reason (further research into this area may be used to decide whether there is a link between myopic correction, visual acuity, and health in general). There is some evidence to suggest that wearing spectacles increases the incidence of bullying in children, but also that this can be negated by programmes in schools. We can draw the conclusion that, overall, it is preferable to correct myopia in children where faced with the alternative of wearing no correction at all, or wearing it for limited periods. There is more (and statistically more significant) evidence that quality of life improves with visual acuity than there is to suggest that quality of life is reduced through either increased levels of myopia (due to the correction accelerating the development EOM) or the practice of wearing spectacles itself. It may sound common sense to instruct a patient (or their parent), where necessary, that wearing their spectacles is a good idea. However, as some parents gradually become more aware of the idea that ‘wearing glasses might make their child’s eyes worse’, or resist their child wearing correction for some other reason, it’s useful to be able to draw on actual evidence to support this long-assumed advice. Perhaps luckily, the closest that current research has come to finding a direct cause for myopia in children (so far, at least) centres around advice that is simple for a dispensing optician to give to children: lead an active, healthy lifestyle, play outdoors and enjoy the clear vision that spectacles can provide. References 1. Young FA. The development and control of myopia in human and subhuman primates. Contacto 1975; (19): 16. 2. Young FA, Leary GA, Baldwin WR, West DC, Box RA, Harris E et al. The transmission of refractive errors within Eskimo families. American Journal of Optometry and Archives of Optometry 1969; (46): 676. 3. Oakley KA, Young FA. Bifocal control of myopia. American Journal of Optometry and Physiological Optics 1975; (52): 758. 4. Revicki DA, Osoba D, Fairclough D, Barofsky I, Berzon R, Leidy NK et al. Recommendations on health-related quality of life research to support labeling and promotional claims in the United States. Quality of Life Research: An International Journal of Quality of Life Aspects of Treatment, Care and Rehabilitation 2000; 9 (8): 887-900. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ 11284208 (accessed 4 February 2014). 5. Wolffsohn JS, Cochrane AL. Design of the low vision quality-of-life questionnaire (LVQOL) and measuring the outcome of low-vision rehabilitation. American Journal of Ophthalmology 2000; 130(6): 793-802. http://www.sciencedirect.com/scien ce/article/pii/S0002939400006103 (accessed 4 February 2014). 6. World Medical Association, Inc. WMA Declaration of Helsinki – Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects. http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/ 10policies/b3/ (accessed 4 February 2014). 7. Lazon de la Jara P, Erickson D, Erickson P, Stapleton F. Visual and nonvisual factors associated with patient satisfaction and quality of life in LASIK. Eye 2011; 25(9): 1194-1201. http://www.bioportfolio.com/resource s/pmarticle/203088/Visual-and-Nonvisual-Factors-Associated-WithPatient-Satisfaction-And-Quality-Of.ht ml (accessed 4 February 2014). 8. He M, Xu J, Li S, Wu K, Munoz SR, Ellweint LB. Visual acuity and quality of life in patients with cataract in Doumen County, China. Ophthalmology 1999; 106 (8): 1609. http://www.sciencedirect.com/scien ce/article/pii/S0161642099904608 (accessed 4 February 2014). 9. Zhao J, Sui R, Jia L, Fletcher AE, Ellweint LB. Visual acuity and quality of life outcomes in patients with cataract in Shunyi County, China. American Journal of Ophthalmology 1998; 126 (4): 515-523. http://www.sciencedirect.com/scien ce/article/pii/S0002939498002748 Continuing Education and Training (accessed 4 February 2014). 10. World Health Organisation. WHO | Sight test and glasses could dramatically improve the lives of 150 million people with poor vision. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/ne w/releases/2006/pr55/en/index.html (accessed 4 February 2014). 11. Horwood J, Waylen A, Herrick D, Williams C, Wolke D. Common visual defects and peer victimization in children. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science 2005; 46 (4): 1177-1181. 12. Jones-Jordan LA, Mitchell GL, Cotter SA, Kleinstein RN, Manny RE, Mutti DO, Twelker JD, Sims JR, Zadnik K. Visual activity before and after the onset of juvenile myopia. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science 2011; 52 (3): 1841-1850. http://www.iovs.org/content/52/3/184 1 (accessed 4 February 2014). 13. French AN, Ashby RS, Morgan IG, Rose KA. Time outdoors and the prevention of myopia. Experimental Eye Research 2013; 114 (September 2013): 58-68. http://www.sciencedirect.com/scien ce/article/pii/S0014483513001061 (accessed 12 February 2014). Ben Brewer BSc (Hons) FBDO is assistant manager at Shore Sight Opticians, in Braunton, Devon, having worked in optics for the last 10 years. Ben spent the final year of his degree focusing on the wider implications of correcting juvenile myopia, receiving five academic prizes at his graduation in 2011. n The multiple-choice questions (MCQs) for this month's CET are available online only, in random order, to comply with the GOC's Good Practice Guidance for this type of CET Frequently asked questions answered by Kim Devlin FBDO (Hons) CL Repairing safety spectacles The question this month concerns repairing safety spectacles. This member asked if she might repair existing safety spectacles in her practice, as the patient worked abroad and was flying back the next day. We all know the rules – don’t do anything to a safety spec! The rationale behind this is simple: whatever you do, you may well interfere with an appliance, which has been manufactured to certain standards and thus invalidate the warranty the manufacturer issued with the spectacles. This, of course, applies to the patient as well in that they may not do anything to the specs (removing the side shields is the favourite one). So if you, or a member of your staff, replace a missing screw or refits the lens that fell out, you could well invalidate the manufacturer’s warranty should an accident occur and a claim be made against the safety spectacle manufacturer. Another question that is frequently asked is: “Do safety spectacles have to be dispensed by a registered optician?” The answer is “No”. Anyone can dispense such spectacles as long as the patient is over 16 and not registered as sight impaired. Back to the original query…I thought that the most sensible and professional action would be to repair the safety specs, in house. My thinking was that the patient would be best served by having a functioning pair of safety specs. Circumstances were such that the usual action of returning the appliance to the manufacturer was not an option but there was a real danger that without the appliance, the patient’s eyes could be damaged. The patient should be informed of the choice open to them – repaired safety specs without a manufacturer’s warranty or no safety spectacles at all. If the worst happened and the appliance failed to protect the patient’s eyes, the member could be in danger of being sued, since the manufacturer would say that their terms and conditions had been breached. Personally, and it is for everyone to decide for themselves, I would take my chance in court. Your records would show what was done and why, and that everything possible was done to keep the patient safe in the given circumstances. And that is what good professional conduct is all about. Kim Devlin is chair of ABDO’s Advice and Guidelines Working Group n Closing date for registration of supervisors and practices for those wishing to sit the winter 2014 contact lens examinations Practical examinations to be held in January 2015 Those planning to sit the winter 2014 practical examinations for the Certificate in Contact Lens Practice should note that the closing date for registering Supervisors and Practices for Provisional Approval is 31 July 2014. Candidates wishing to sit the contact lens practical examination in winter 2014 must have at the time of their examination application, and throughout the period up to and including their practical examination, a supervisor and practical experience practice on the current ABDO approved register – or have been given provisional approval following completion of a supervisor/practice registration application form. Completed registration application forms relevant to the winter 2014 sitting must reach the ABDO offices in Kent by 31 July 2014. Registration documents are available upon request from the Examinations and Registration Department on 01227 732921/732924 or email [email protected] n 10 dispensingoptics June 2014 In part two of his practice modernisation diary, Robert Callander writes from a local hotel where he has set up house Diary of a practice redesign: part 2 I have the pleasure of writing this from the Function Suite of the Star and Garter Hotel, an icon at the east end of Linlithgow’s High Street. The temptation to help myself from the unmanned, but generously stocked, bar is strong. So far I have managed to resist. What I can’t resist is overindulging in the treats from the coffee bar and lunches from the bistro. A reduced workload with lattes on demand and cooked lunches – I expect to get fat. For the two weeks leading up to Easter, this is my temporary office. The practice is closed for a refit and we’re offering a skeleton service from this hotel. I think it is better to offer some service rather than none and from here we can handle collections, minor repairs, general enquiries and, most importantly, take bookings for eye exams. We’ve arranged to have the phones diverted and put up information posters on the windows of the practice directing our customers here. One of the fears I have around closing down for so long is that existing customers may think we’ve gone away for good and seek their eyecare elsewhere. In the 10 days or so leading up to the start of works we’ve been phasing down our workload and keeping customers informed that their new glasses will be available for collection from the hotel rather than the practice. This prospect seems to have gone down rather well. It was all hands on deck last Saturday. We didn’t schedule a clinic but we did open to the public as we started from the back rooms – putting everything into storage, securing record cards, shutting down and dust-proofing the consulting room equipment. Let there be light The final task at the end of trading on Saturday was to remove all the frames from display and put them away safely. We are fortunate to have a big, old building with space enough to store everything negating the need to hire external storage. The team of shopfitters arrived early on Sunday and got stuck right in – removing all the old fixtures and fittings, doors, suspended ceiling and reception desk. It’s amazing how quickly the destruction progresses. The next day, the decorators got started on their prep. Stripping off the old paper revealed the signature of a previous worker whose scrawl was dated June 1930. Sadly, that’s now plastered over. History’s loss for the sake of a nice, smooth wall. Back at the hotel we’re seeing just a handful of customers each day but our presence is appreciated by these patients. The rest of our time is well spent on admin, planning for the re-launch and ensuring frame stock and contact lenses are delivered as necessary. It’s now Wednesday evening of week two – and having popped in for a look, can see that things are moving on apace. The new lights are fitted and powered up. Lack of light was probably the major problem to be resolved and that issue is now well and truly sorted. It is so bright not only will frame colours be so much more visible, I reckon we’ll sell more sunglasses too! The new mounts for the frame displays are fixed to the walls and they look fantastic – as do the new radiators. Who’d have thought a radiator could look so, well, cool? Such clean lines, and so modern; a world away from the ‘old’ shop. Things seem to be well ahead of schedule and it turns out that’s because the workers are desperate to finish in time for the Easter weekend. Come Easter Monday it’s all hands on deck again. Stepping into the empty practice is amazing. It looks bigger, definitely brighter, slick and modern. There is a huge ‘wow!’ factor and I’m delighted with the new look. Today we’re really excited but feeling the pressure to set up the consulting room, my new dispensing area and merchandise the frame display. It’s a great opportunity to think about our workflow and reposition kit to make better use of the available space. Clean and clear is the theme we’re aiming for. Let’s see how long that lasts… Robert Callander MBA, FBDO, has more than 25 years’ experience in the world of optics including the supply side and in practice. Currently he owns and operates his own practice in Linlithgow, a market town just outside Edinburgh. n Practice design Hard at work in the local hotel TO AV O AIL RD A ER BL N E O W ! I SEE ICONIC GREEN throughh Nik Nikon on spectacle lenses Where does this part go? For full lens availability, please contact your Nikon Area Account Manager, or Nikon Customer Services on 01908 214100. ! NEW GRAPHITE GREEN STYLE COMES COMES TO TO STYLE ® TRANSITIONS WITH NIKON NIK ON LENSES. The latest lighting technology in ancient ceiling rose Transitions T ransitions and the swirl swirl are are registered registered trademarks trademarks and T Transitions ransitions Signa Signature ture is a tr trademark ademark of Transitions Transitions Optical, Inc. ©2014 ©2014 Transitions Transitions Optical, Inc. Photochromic Photochromic performance performance is influenced influenced by by ttemperature, emperature, UV e exposure xposure and lens ma material. terial. Emily merchandising the stock For advertising email [email protected] 12 dispensingoptics June 2014 This month, Antonia Chitty speaks to some experienced practitioners about what it takes to succeed in optics over the long-term Experience for long-term gain D o you wish that there was an easy way to learn all the lessons you need for a successful optical practice? No amount of business studies lessons can replace practical, in-practice experience, whether it is learning what makes a business succeed or how to deal with patients. What you can do, however, is learn from more experienced practitioners. In this article, you can read tips from practitioners who have been in dispensing optics for 20 years, 30 years or longer, about the sort of thing they wish they’d known when they started out. “Stick to your principles and embrace change” Clive Marchant is a dispensing optician, managing director at Colin Lee Opticians and ABDO Board member. He has worked in optics since 1976. He explains: “I was going to go and study electronic engineering, but I failed an A level and wasn’t accepted at the university I had applied to. I was then given the opportunity to join Scrivens as a trainee dispensing optician. The morning I decided to accept the job in dispensing, I also got a letter in the post from a different university to say they would accept me with the A Levels I had. Faced with the choice of having to leave home within 48 hours, with no funding or the prospect of £16 per week, with the possibility of it rising to £100 per week when qualified – there was no choice. I took the job, and applied to do the dispensing optics correspondence course with distance learning with two fortnightly block releases in Bradford over three years. “Optics wasn’t entirely unknown to me,” continues Clive. “My brother-inlaw Colin and my sister Linda worked for Scrivens; I’d spent school holidays filing for Linda, and so I had some idea of optical practice. Not long after I qualified I moved to Colin Lee Opticians, the family business which Colin and my sister Linda started in 1978, and I’ve been there ever since. I joined them just in time to open our Rugeley practice.” With coming up to 40 years’ experience, Clive has plenty of advice. He says: “Believe in yourself, stick to your principles. For me, it’s all about quality of service. I want a patient looked after in the same way that you’d want your grandparents, your parents, your children to be looked after and that’s from when they walk in the door to when they depart. It’s something that’s sadly lacking in retail in general.” In the time Clive has spent in optics he has seen many things change. He says: “It takes a long time to achieve what you want to achieve in a practice. You can be lucky, things may boom from day one, but that’s unusual. My initial experience in opening the first practice a week before Christmas was that we took £9, the practice flooded over Christmas and we had to start again! Now, we’ve moved the Rugeley practice three times, and each move has been due to expansion. We offer a far greater range of clinical services now. “Initially we needed more consulting rooms. The second move allowed us a larger dispensing area, but the Clive Marchant Continued overleaf For further information contact Rodenstock on 01474 325 555 dunhill.com Alfred Dunhill Ltd. 14 dispensingoptics June 2014 Tim Bowden Jennifer Brower Hazel Willby consulting rooms were upstairs. They were nice and private, but it was a problem as patients aged. We moved one consulting room downstairs to cater for their needs but more ground floor consulting rooms were needed so we moved premises again so everyone would be able to access a consulting room downstairs. The new practice also includes a screening area; that wasn’t the way 35 years ago when everything was done in the consulting room. Our receptionists have evolved and can now offer retinal photography and field screening as optical assistants.” a minefield, but by engaging with ABDO, your LOC and other local societies, you can be part of the change and have a better understanding of what is evolving.” optics, I’m always looking for inspiring contributions. Please get in touch via [email protected] When asked how he would advise a new practitioner who wants to be in optics for the long term, Clive says, “Embrace change; it’s going to happen, and you become a dinosaur if you resist it. When we started you couldn’t even advertise, you couldn’t put a Visa sign on the door, and you couldn’t display prices on frames in the window. We bought one practice with two frames on display, and the rest in boxes. Look at where we are now and many of the changes have to be for the good – but be wary of being dragged down a price war that you’re never going to win. “Price isn’t everything – the majority of people will look at service and quality of product. You need to be competitive, but you don’t need to be the cheapest. Beyond day-to-day practice, be politically aware. Be involved with your local optical committee and your professional body. Take part in the ABDO President’s Consultation Day, where there is an open invitation to all members. Changes in the NHS can be Many thanks to all the practitioners who have shared their extensive experience. If you have tips you’d like to share or views on an aspect of Former optometrist Antonia Chitty now writes on business topics. She has written books including ‘Making Money Online’, ‘Blogging: The Essential Guide’ and ‘Marketing: The Essential Guide’, providing effective ways to grow your practice. n “Be true to yourself” Tim Bowden of Bowden and Lowe in Gillingham started in optics in 1968 and became a contact lens optician some 10 years later. His advice is: “Find something in optics you enjoy doing and do it to the best of your ability. You are working a long time so enjoy it and enjoy the people. When you don’t enjoy it, get out! Work for an independent or, better still, run your own independent practice. The harder you work the luckier you get. Always be true to yourself. You sleep easier at night.” “Have confidence” Jennifer Brower is the immediate past president of ABDO, an ABDO Board member, low vision adviser to the ABDO Board and chairman of the ABDO Low Vision Committee. Jennifer practises in Hertfordshire, in a practice that she opened with her optometrist Richard Rawlinson Lesley-Ann Murray NE Patient and practice management W! partner in 1978. She advises new practitioners: “Have confidence in yourself and your qualifications. You have gone through years of study and examinations, so think of yourself as qualified and competent rather than newly qualified and unsure. We don’t all know everything and there will be times that you can’t answer a patient’s question – but don’t panic and never be afraid of asking for help. You will have a much happier patient if you say something like, ‘I'll just check that for you’, rather than say, ‘Sorry, I don’t know’. The patient will know you are dealing with the query and will think how helpful you are!” “Enjoy it” Hazel Willby started working in optics in 1981 and now works for Linklater Warren, managing Leslie Warren in Sevenoaks. She says: “I’m not sure if it sounds clichéd to say ‘enjoy your work’ but that’s exactly what I’d tell someone starting out. If you don’t enjoy what you do, it comes through to your patients, and they recognise that you are just going through the motions, lose confidence in your abilities and doubt their choices. The most important thing is to continue to be interested, no matter how the business or the products change. Make sure there is something that you enjoy and love, that your whole team enjoys and loves. Include your team in the process to get the best out of your practice.” I SEE VISION REDEFINED through Nikon spectacle lenses “Don’t be complacent” Richard Rawlinson has been in optics for 28 years, the last 18 as a franchise business owner at Boots Opticians. He also represents ABDO on the UK Domiciliary Eyecare Committee and is a director of Vision Aid Overseas. He says: “Looking back, advice which was given to me that I took heed to, is to remember that we’re a healthcare service led industry, and treat each customer as one of our own family. Don’t get complacent that this is just a job, but put yourselves back in the shoes of the patient. Secondly, look at your business through a fresh pair of eyes – again, from the customer’s perspective, to see the way the practice is presented.” “Learn frame fitting” Lesley-Ann Murray started working in optics in 1991 and has worked for Boots, Specsavers, ASDA, and now works for an independent in Cambridge. She has experience in management, contact lenses and is an ABDO examiner. She advises: “For a young dispensing optician, I think one of the most important skills to learn is frame fitting. When dealing with a patient, reiterate everything so you are both clear. Customer service is the basis of successful practice. Don’t push the sales: give people plenty of space. Always tell them to come back in if they need an adjustment or repair or have queries with their vision. One thing that I do for any patient with children is to ask when they last had their eyes tested. Many people don’t realise children can have their eyes examined before they can read.” Nikon’s Most Advanced Progressive Lenses Available to order from Nikon now 01908 214100 www.nikonlenswear.co.uk For advertising email [email protected] 16 dispensingoptics June 2014 An eye for design, a sense of thrift and knowing when to ask for help stood James Taylor-Short in good stead when his customers stopped coming Member of the month: James Taylor-Short James Taylor-Short with Darth Vader Not giving in to the Dark Side Q ualifying as a dispensing optician from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge in 2008, Devon-born James undertook a variety of different roles before training as a DO – from making spectacles and assessing low vision needs to practice management. Deciding to concentrate on his passion for fashionable eyewear, James set up his first practice, A&J Opticians, in Torrington, Devon, in 2008 in partnership with optometrist Anita Brady. quickly obvious that we needed to move to a better location but we were tied into a lease until this year,” says James. “Luckily, we managed to sign a new lease with a cheaper rent right in the heart of the town. We knew we needed to attract younger patients but we were never going to do that whilst we continued looking like an ‘old school’ opticians.” So James and his team set about re-launching as a fashion eyewear boutique. As the Torrington practice grew, James decided to branch out by buying a second practice in the market town of Barnstaple in 2012 – a move that marked an unfortunate reversal of fortunes, as James explains: “The previous owners sold the practice to Bill & Taylor Opticians at the bottom of its potential, having seen the good days in the 1980s and 90s and sort of given up on it when one of the partners passed away. So not only were we in a street off the centre of town, the practice was slowly dying because our patients were dropping off the end of the life cycle and not being replaced by anyone new.” Phoenix from the ashes The team attempted to push the practice forwards but it was not as easy as they had hoped. “It was With any practice revamp comes a practice revamp budget – which James simply didn’t have. “We were refused a bank loan and so I ended up putting in around £4,000 from my own savings. I knew I needed help and so I contacted Sight Care, of which I’m a member, to explain my situation – and they were down in the practice within days. They provided much-needed practical advice and support with things such as marketing materials and their trendy new frame ranges.” James also called on family and friends for their support, furnishing the practice with items ‘up-cycled’ from his own home – such as dining room floor boards for use in the window display, a welsh dresser from his kitchen to display frames on, and an old farmhouse bench that was re-homed in the waiting area. He even reclaimed a fallen tree and with the help of a friend who’s a tree surgeon, made a set of shelves. He took on some stylish new collections from, amongst others, William Morris London, Wolf Eyewear and Pro-Optic, and teamed up with a local kids café to kit out a kids’ zone with magazines and toys. “What we’ve ended up with is a beautiful boutique style practice, with an amazing frame selection – all done on a shoestring,” explains James. The grand opening of the new practice took place on Saturday 3 May and featured Darth Vader promoting the new Star Wars range of children’s frames, goodie bags from William Morris London and Nikon Optical and “more champagne than would be needed to sink the Titanic!” “By moving premises and relaunching as a stylish boutique, we’ve gained a new type of customer – the browser,” James continues. “We saw more people browsing here in one day than we did in the whole two years in our old place. The response from the local community has been fantastic and we are really now part of the town – Member of the month offering a personal service where we make the customer feel special. “When times were bad about a year ago, my father-in-law Michael Taylor – who owns the other Bill & Taylor Optical practices – sat down with me and we had a long hard think together. Then a meeting with my accountant told me that I could either face bankruptcy within 12 months, or invest in making the practice different. And that’s what we’ve done. We’ve gone the extra mile – and then some – and I think a lot of that comes from my personal passion for eyewear. It’s been a stressful experience but hopefully one I can look back on with pride.” As well as continuing to grow his practices, James creates his own bespoke range of frames – having been one of the first dispensing opticians in the UK to adopt in-practice 3D printing. He has even designed a range of frames made from old skateboard decks and a range of laser James’s children enjoying the new kids’ zone A display shelf built from a fallen tree cut wooden frames. “It’s something I’m really passionate about,” says James, ”if only there were 48 hours in a day!” mountaineering and playing the piano and guitar. “If only I had a piano in the practice – I would be the happiest DO in the world!” James jokes. n Keeping busy outside of optics too, James is the station officer for the local Coastguard team and is the only search and rescue dog handler located in the North Devon area. He has a young family, enjoys surfing, Have you got a story to tell? Put forward yourself, or someone you know, for Member of the Month by emailing Nicky Collinson at [email protected] Why our communities matter What does community mean to you? Paul Surridge asks F or decades we’ve witnessed an insidious erosion of Britain’s communities and, as a consequence, a serious decline in the number of secondary retail units and other small businesses that are the very fabric of local life. The decline has manifested itself for a number of socio-economic reasons, too complex to cover in this short article, coupled with the incredible growth of the internet and related technology, which now dominates everyday living and has changed consumer buying habits forever. So what does community mean to you? If you live or work in a small village or town, the chances are you’ll value the benefits of doing so. It might be the slightly less frenetic pace of life or the convenience of being able to park without problems. It might be the availability of good local schools and infrastructure, or the camaraderie you’ve built with local people. Of course, in larger towns and cities there may well be a different criteria for community and those who choose city living will have lots of reasons for doing so. Whatever your experience or perception is of community, it’s rapidly changing – and in my view not necessarily for the better. We all want a vibrant, dynamic place to live in where people care about their environment and local affairs. Not faceless societies where community simply means somewhere to live; where decay sets in and small business units are boarded up denying important services to families with small children, or those less mobile and often most needy. Opticians’ practices, not unlike pharmacies, are a vital community resource, which has to be protected – but by whom? Fortunately, opticians and pharmacies have a clinical dimension to their business model, which gives some financial protection against the vagaries of economic downturn or the socio-economic changes referred to earlier, but is it Continued overleaf 18 dispensingoptics June 2014 enough to sustain those businesses in the decades to come? Action needed now A number of reports have been commissioned in recent years to investigate the ‘decline in Britain’s High Streets and rural communities’ and they make for interesting reading. As one would expect, there’s a multitude of complex dynamics at work, and as a consequence, none of the report authors proffer quick-fix solutions or an obvious nationwide strategy to halt the decline. The fact is we are where we are, and while the government and think tanks ponder the dilemma, we need action now to bring about change at a local level before it’s too late. At Sight Care we’re passionate about the independent business model and how that fits into community life, and have championed the independent message for a quarter of a century. Our national PR campaign, www.sightcarelocal.co.uk, is testament to that. ABDO and Sight Care are great resources within the optical profession – both seeking to serve individuals who, in turn, serve the public. If there is any section of the business community well placed to bring about community change it’s ours. If you want to help revive your local community and see your business prosper consider the following. It’s not a definitive list of activities but could get the process going: • As a practice team, conduct a SWOT analysis of your community: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats • From that discussion, give thought to what you believe people want from the community and, importantly, what would encourage them to shop locally Conduct a questionnaire survey with your patients over a three-month period asking them what they like and dislike about local community life, and what they’d like to see in the future. Analyse the results. Conduct a similar survey of local businesses and ask them if they’d like to be a part of a ‘shop local’ campaign. With those businesses that show an interest, Involve local people of all ages in your community campaigns organise a brainstorm meeting to discuss ways of bringing about the changes people want. Set up a working party to see what could be achieved. (Clearly infrastructure changes or ideas that require local government backing or serious funding should be put to one side at this stage – although not forgotten.) Having identified ideas that could be implemented, allow the working party to determine an action plan involving all those parties that have a stake in the outcome. It’s this group that should be prepared to carry out the plan and help fund activities where a financial commitment is required. Involve the local parish council or chamber of commerce or other similar bodies/organisations that have a vested interest and could well play a role. Get the local media engaged in what you are doing so they can help publicise activities. You may decide to organise a community awareness day where businesses come together to promote what they do and encourage local people to attend. Involve people who live in the community and get them to spread the word. In addition to joint activities, every business in the community should have its own plan to engage with local people throughout the year. For opticians, the following is just a small list of ideas: • Place posters/banners in the window promoting the community initiative. Have leaflets available and engage with patients • Arrange for charismatic teenagers to distribute balloons with your logo on to families with young children on busy shopping days. A Friday or Saturday is ideal • Give eyecare presentations to local junior schools ideally involving children, parents and teachers. Arrange a painting/drawing competition for the children encouraging parents to bring entries into the practice so you can encourage eye exams for all the family • Consider sponsoring a sporting activity for children. Rugby, football, netball, etc • Distribute press releases to the local media about the importance of eyecare – and why community matters; there are plenty of sources of information • Give presentations to the local WI and other community groups In those areas of the UK that have a strategy to arrest the decline, local businesses prosper and people’s lives are enriched. I fear that if we fail to act soon, community life as it should be will be lost forever – and that can’t be in anyone’s best interest. Paul Surridge is chief executive of Sight Care Group. For more information about helping change your local community and improving business prospects, email [email protected] n Practical guidance Angela McNamee provides an updated list of the latest dry eye preparations with a useful ingredients glossary Dry eye preparations: an update T he original version of the table overleaf appeared in the July 2009 issue of Dispensing Optics, as part of the article: ‘A drop of the wet stuff – part two’. The table proved particularly popular, as no such comprehensive resource existed, and many readers reported pulling it out to keep as a practice reference guide. Here, in response to requests, the author has updated the table to encompass many new products – in a special ‘pull out and keep’ format. This time, all of the preparations included may be sold ‘over the counter’ and thus are available for all dispensing opticians and contact lens opticians to supply. The few products which carry a Pharmacy ‘P’ classification have been omitted. Also included this time is the ingredients glossary below, which covers not only preservatives and lubricants, but also most of the other ingredients/terms commonly found in dry eye preparations. Dry eye preparations glossary of ingredients and terms Aminomethylpropanol Buffer. Benzalkonium chloride Preservative. Bicarbonate Electrolyte. Boric Acid (Sodium borate) Buffer. Buffer Maintains pH of solution. Calcium Electrolyte. Carbomer (Polyacrylic acid). Viscoelastic lubricant. Binds moisture to eye surface. Carboxymethylcellulose (Sodium carboxymethylcellulose/Carmellose sodium) Low viscosity polymer lubricant. Chelating agent Binds metals. Enhances activity of preservative. Cetrimide Preservative Citrate Buffer Dexpanthenol Derivative of vitamin B5. Aids healing Dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol Polar phospholipid surfactant. Mimics polar lipids in the tear film. Decreases tear evaporation. EDTA (Disodium edetate) Chelating agent. Electrolytes Salts found naturally in tears, and added to dry eye preparations. Electrolytes contribute to osmolarity and act as buffers. Glycerin Draws/binds water to cells. Also may act as an “osmoprotective”, protecting the ocular surface from the effects of increased osmolarity. Hydroxypropyl guar (HP-Guar) Viscoelastic lubricant, becoming more viscous when in contact with the eye, to form a gel-like network, which binds to the ocular surface. Hypotonic Having a lower concentration than normal tears. Hypotonic solutions aim to reduce tear osmolarity. Increased osmolarity of tears is common in dry eye, and leads to drying of ocular surfaces, inflammation, and damage to goblet cells, meibomian glands and lacrimal gland. Hypromellose (HPMC) Low viscosity polymer lubricant. Isotonic Having the same concentration as normal tears. Liquid paraffin High viscosity polymer lubricant. Magnesium Electrolyte. Mineral oil Lipid. Ocupure Vanishing preservative. Breaks down into water and sodium chloride when exposed to light. Osmolarity The measure of solute concentration per unit volume of solvent. In the context of tears, this could be described as a measure of how concentrated or “salty” they are. Oxyd Vanishing preservative. Turns to water, oxygen and sodium chloride on contact with the eye. Phenoxyethanol Used in spray preparations. A vanishing preservative which evaporates from the aerosol state. Phosphate Electrolyte. Phospholipid Stabilises the lipid layer of the tears. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) Lubricant. Polyhexanide (Polyhexamethylene biguanide/PHMB) Preservative. Polyquad (Polidronium chloride/Polyquaternium 1) Preservative. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) Low viscosity polymer lubricant. Potassium Electrolyte. Povidone (Polyvinylpyrrolidone/PVP) Low viscosity polymer lubricant. Propylene glycol Lubricant. Purite Vanishing preservative. Breaks down into water and sodium chloride when exposed to light. Sodium Electrolyte. Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyualuronic acid) Viscoelastic lubricant. Sorbitol A sugar alcohol. Optimises viscosity to reduce blur on instillation. Soy bean oil A source of phospholipids. Soy lecithin Contains a phospholipid, to stabilise the lipid layer. Tonicity The osmotic pressure gradient of two solutions (tears and cell contents) separated by a semi-permeable membrane (the cell membrane). Trehalose A disaccharide, shown to protect corneal cells from desiccation and subsequent death. Triglycerides Lipids Trometamol Buffer Vanishing preservative Preserves the product in the bottle but is not present in the eye. Viscoelastic Lubricant becoming more viscous when the eye is open. Viscosity In general, the higher the viscosity, the longer the product will remain in the eye, and the more likely it is to blur vision. Vitamin A An antioxidant. May promote corneal healing. Vitamin B12 May protect from oxidative stress. Vitamin E An antioxidant. May also help stabilise the lipid layer. White soft paraffin High viscosity polymer lubricant. Xanthan gum Polymer. Prolongs contact time of drop. Zinc-hyaluronate Zinc bound to hyaluronic acid, forming a mechanical barrier. Zinc also acts as an antimicrobial, avoiding need for preservative. The author has no commercial interest in any of the products mentioned. Information on products has been obtained from the manufacturers or suppliers and is reproduced in good faith. Explanations in the glossary relate to the ingredient/term as used in the context of dry eye preparations, rather than being strict definitions. Terms in italics have a separate entry. 20 dispensingoptics June 2014 PRODUCT SUPPLIER LUBRICANT PRESERVATIVE CL USE Artelac Rebalance Bausch + Lomb Sodium hyaluronate 0.15%, polyethylene glycol 8000 0.5%, (+vitamin B12) Oxyd1 Yes DISCARD AFTER 2 months Bausch + Lomb Carbomer 0.2%, triglycerides Cetrimide No 28 days Blink Contacts Unit Dose Blink Contacts Multi-Dose Blink Intensive Tears Unit Dose Blink Intensive Tears Multi-Dose Blink Intensive Tears Plus AMO Sodium hyaluronate 0.15% None Yes AMO Sodium hyaluronate 0.15% Ocupure 0.005%1 Yes AMO Sodium hyaluronate 0.2%, polyethylene glycol 400 0.25% Sodium hyaluronate 0.2%, polyethylene glycol 400 Sodium hyaluronate 0.38%, polyethylene glycol 400 0.25% None Yes Ocupure 0.005%1 Yes Ocupure 0.005%1 See note3 Blink Refreshing Unit Dose Blink Refreshing Multi-Dose Clinitas Hydrate AMO Polyvinyl alcohol 1.4% None Yes AMO Polyvinyl alcohol 1.4% Ocupure 0.005%1 Yes Altacor Carbomer 980 0.2% Cetrimide No Sodium hyaluronate 0.4% None Yes Soybean oil 7%, natural phospholipids 3% Sodium hyaluronate 0.1% None Yes None2 Yes Soy lecithin 1.0%, (+vitamins A & E) Zinc-hyaluronate 0.15% Phenoxyethanol 0.5%1 Yes None Sodium hyaluronate 0.15% None2 See note4 Yes Artelac Nighttime Gel NOTES Aqueous/ general deficiency. Hypotonic Hyabak Unit Dose Spectrum Thea Sodium hyaluronate 0.15% None Yes Hycosan Scope Ophthalmic Scope Ophthalmic Scope Ophthalmic Sodium hyaluronate 0.1% None2 Yes Sodium hyaluronate 0.2% None2 Yes Sodium hyaluronate 0.1% (+dexpanthenol 2%) None2 Yes Moorfields Hypromellose 0.3% Pharmaceutical Avizor Povidone 1% None Yes Polyhexanide 0.0002% Yes More severe dry eye/lipid deficiency. Day or night use. N/a Aqueous/general deficiency 45 days Aqueous/general deficiency N/a Aqueous/ mucous deficiency 45 days Aqueous/ mucous deficiency 45 days Aqueous/mucous deficiency. More severe dry eye. Hypotonic N/a Aqueous/mucous deficiency 45 days For mild dry eye symptoms 4 weeks More severe dry eye or night use N/a Aqueous/general deficiency N/a Lipid deficiency (MGD) 12 weeks Aqueous/ general deficiency 6 months Lipid deficiency (MGD) 4 weeks Aqueous/ general deficiency 3 months Aqueous/ general deficiency. Hypotonic N/a Aqueous/ general deficiency. Hypotonic 6 months Mild aqueous/ general deficiency 6 months Moderate aqueous/ General deficiency 6 months Severe aqueous/ general deficiency or damage/injury N/a Aqueous/ general deficiency 60 days CL rewetting drop Avizor Sodium hyaluronate 0.1% Polyhexanide 0.0001% Yes 60 days Avizor Sodium hyaluronate 0.1% None Yes N/a Lubristil Unit Dose Lubristil Gel Unit Dose Lubristil Gel Unit Dose Lumecare Fast Acting Drops Lumecare Long Lasting Gel Lumecare Unit Dose Ocusan Unit Dose Optive Moorfields Pharmaceutical Moorfields Pharmaceutical Moorfields Pharmaceutical Lumecare Sodium hyaluronate 0.15% None Yes N/a Sodium hyaluronate 0.15%, xanthan gum 1% Sodium hyaluronate 0.15%, xanthan gum 1% Hypromellose 0.3% None No N/a None No N/a Benzalkonium chloride 28 days Lumecare Carbomer 0.2% Cetrimide See note5 No 28 days Lumecare Hypromellose 0.3% None Yes N/a Agepha Pharma Allergan Sodium hyaluronate 0.2% None Yes N/a Purite1 Yes 6 months Optive Fusion Allergan Purite1 Yes 6 months Optive Plus Allergan Carboxymethylcellulose 0.5%, glycerin 0.9% Sodium hyaluronate 0.1%, carboxymethylcellulose 0.5%, glycerin 0.9% Carboxymethylcellulose 0.5%, glycerin 1.0%, castor oil 0.25% Purite1 Yes 6 months AMO AMO Clinitas Soothe Altacor Unit Dose Emustil Unit Dose Moorfields Pharmaceutical Eye Logic Dry Savant Eye Drops Eye Logic Savant Spray Relief Eyezin Moorfields Pharmaceutical Hyabak Spectrum Thea Hycosan Extra Hycosan Plus Hydromoor Unit Dose Lacrifresh Comfort Drops Lacrifresh Moisture Drops Lacrifresh Moisture Drops Unit Dose Aqueous/ general deficiency Aqueous/ general deficiency. Aqueous/ general deficiency Moderate- severe dry eye or night use Moderate- severe dry eye or night use Aqueous/ general deficiency More severe dry eye or night use Aqueous/ general deficiency Aqueous/ general deficiency Mucous/aqueous deficiency. Mild Mucous/aqueous deficiency. Moderate to severe Moderate to severe dry eye. Supports all tear layers Dry eye preparations table 2014 PRODUCT SUPPLIER LUBRICANT PRESERVATIVE CL USE Optrex Actimist 2-in-1 Spray Dry & Irritated Optrex Actimist 2-in-1 Spray Itchy & Watery Optrex Actimist 2-in-1 Spray Tired & Uncomfortable Optrex Dry Eye Drops Oxyal Optrex Soy lecithin 1.0%, (+vitamins A & E) Phenoxyethanol1 Optrex Soy lecithin 1.0%, (+vitamins A & E) Optrex Optrex Kestrel Ophthalmics Refresh Contacts Allergan Refresh Contacts Allergan Unit Dose Refresh Soothe Allergan And Protect Unit Dose Systane Alcon Systane Balance Alcon NOTES Yes DISCARD AFTER 6 months Phenoxyethanol1 Yes 6 months Lipid deficiency (MGD) Soy lecithin 1.0%, (+vitamins A & E) Phenoxyethanol1 Yes 6 months Lipid deficiency (MGD) Sodium hyaluronate 0.15% Oxyd1 Yes 4 weeks Sodium hyaluronate 0.1%, Protector (“filmogenous polymer”) Sodiumcarboxymethylcellulose 0.5% Sodiumcarboxymethylcellulose 0.5% Sodiumcarboxymethylcellulose 1% Oxyd1 Yes 60 days Purite1 Yes 60 days Aqueous/ general deficiency Aqueous/general deficiency. Hypotonic CL rewetting drop None Yes N/a CL rewetting drop None Yes N/a Mucous/aqueous deficiency Hydroxpropyl guar, polyethylene Polyquaternium-1 0.001% glycol 400 0.4%, propylene glycol 0.3%, Propylene glycol 0.6%, Polyquaternium-1 0.001% hydroxpropyl guar, sorbitol, ‘LipiTech’ (dimyristoylphosphatidylglygerol + mineral oil) Hydroxpropyl guar, polyethylene Polyquaternium-1 0.001% glycol 400 0.4%, propylene glycol 0.3%, sorbitol See note6 6 months Mucous/aqueous deficiency See note6 6 months Lipid deficiency (MGD) See note6 6 months Hydroxpropyl guar, Polyquaternium-1 0.001% polyethylene glycol 400 0.4%, propylene glycol 0.3%, sorbitol Hydroxpropyl guar, polyethylene None glycol 400 0.4%, propylene glycol 0.3%, sorbitol Yes 6 months Mucous/aqueous deficiency. Moderate to severe. Day or night use Mucous/aqueous deficiency Yes N/a Mucous/aqueous deficiency None See note6 N/a Mucous/aqueous deficiency Aqueous/general deficiency. Moderate to severe dry eye Mucous/aqueous deficiency. Hypotonic. Electrolyte balanced. Mucous/aqueous deficiency. Hypotonic. Electrolyte balanced. Day or night use Aqueous/ general deficiency Aqueous/general deficiency. Hypotonic. Aqueous/ general deficiency Hypotonic Moderate to severe aqueous/general deficiency. Hypotonic Moderate to severe aqueous/general deficiency. Hypotonic More severe dry eye. Night time use. Systane Gel Drops Alcon Systane Ultra Alcon Systane Ultra Unit Dose Alcon Systane Unit Dose Alcon Thealoz Spectrum Thea Hydroxpropyl guar, polyethylene glycol 400 0.4%, propylene glycol 0.3% Trehalose 3% None Yes 8 weeks Theratears Lubricant Eye Drops Unit Dose Matheson Optometrists Sodiumcarboxymethylcellulose None 0.25% Yes N/a Theratears Liquid Gel Unit Dose Matheson Optometrists Sodiumcarboxymethylcellulose 1% None Yes N/a Vismed Light TRB Chemedica Sodium hyaluronate 0.1% Polyhexanide Yes 3 months Vismed Multi TRB Chemedica Sodium hyaluronate 0.18% None2 Yes 3 months Vismed Unit Dose TRB Chemedica Sodium hyaluronate 0.18% None Yes N/a Vismed Gel Multi TRB Chemedica Sodium hyaluronate 0.3% None2 Yes 3 months Vismed Gel Unit Dose TRB Chemedica Sodium hyaluronate 0.3% None Yes N/a VitA-POS Scope Ophthalmics No 6 months Xailin Fresh Unit Dose Xailin NIght Nicox Pharma White soft paraffin, light liquid None paraffin, liquid paraffin, wool fat (+vitamin A) Sodiumcarboxymethylcellulose None 0.5% White soft paraffin, white None mineral oil, lanolin alcohol Yes N/a No 28 days Nicox Pharma Lipid deficiency (MGD) Moderate aqueous/ general deficiency More severe dry eye. Night time use. 1) Vanishing preservative; 2) Dispensing system prevents contamination of contents; 3) Remove CLs before use, reapply CLs when any blurring has cleared; 4) Not for use with ionic CL materials; 5) Wait 30 minutes before applying CLs; 6 ) Use before applying and after removing CLs © Angela McNamee 2014 National Optometric Conference 2014 Find out how to help drive the national eye health agenda at NOC 2014 Call to action for eye health D ispensing opticians have a great range of skills honed on the High Street that are of benefit to local optical committees (LOCs), believes LOCSU managing director, Katrina Verenus. “With NHS England’s Call to Action (CTA) recently launched, now is the time for DOs to draw upon these skills and help drive the national eye health agenda,” Katrina says. “The CTA is the start of a new national conversation about eye health. It focuses on a preventative approach and – in tandem with CTAs for general practice, dentistry and pharmacy – will lead to the publication of a national strategy for primary care in October.” It’s no coincidence then that ‘A call to action for eye health’ is the main theme of the 2014 National Optical Conference (NOC) being held on 23 and 24 October at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel. Explaining its importance for the sector, Katrina told Dispensing Optics: “Clinical commissioning groups are increasingly understanding that much of what is done in the Hospital Eye Service can and should be done out of hospital in the community – drawing on the skills of primary care practitioners. “The Call to Action is your chance to put eye health at the top of the commissioner’s agenda in your local area. Given the unprecedented financial pressures facing the NHS and the increasing demands arising from an ageing population, there is now a real urgency for change in the way services are commissioned. So, with LOCs central to shaping future services, influencing commissioners and improving your business – all roads lead to the NOC. And LOCSU is urging dispensing opticians to book their place.” Local communities in focus Dr David Geddes, NHS England’s head of primary care commissioning, will follow up his well-received address at NOC 2013 with this year’s keynote speech and is expected to outline the emerging findings from the Call to Action and to give his perspective on the way services will be commissioned in the future. To support the theme of a Call to Action for Eye Health, the full programme of sessions and keynote speakers is being developed and will be announced in due course. Katrina continued: “As with past years, the NOC has been carefully designed to appeal to anyone with an interest in developing community eye health services, including practice owners and dispensing opticians. As well as the official programme, there is of course the chance to network throughout the event and celebrate the success of our professions over the past year through the AOP Awards dinner. The conference provides an unrivalled opportunity to find out firsthand the latest news about community eye health services and to share knowledge and network with Dr David Geddes speaking at last year’s NOC colleagues from around the country,” Katrina concluded. AOP Awards Any delegate booking a residential place will be able to go to the AOP Awards dinner – a black-tie event to be held on the evening of Thursday 23 October. Costs are as follows: 1. Residential place: £576 (including VAT). This rate includes: overnight stay for two nights (Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 October); breakfast on Thursday and Friday; evening meal on arrival on Wednesday 22 October; lunch on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 October; one ticket to the AOP Awards black tie dinner on Thursday 23 October; and access to the NOC 2014 and exhibition area. 2. Non-residential place: £352.80 (including VAT). This rate includes: lunch on Thursday 23 and Friday 24 October; one ticket to the AOP Awards black tie dinner on Thursday 23 October; and access and entrance to the NOC 2014 and exhibition area. n How to book To book a place at NOC 2014, visit www.aop.org.uk. For updates on the full programme, visit LOCSU’s website, www.locsu.co.uk, and click on the NOC box on the homepage. In common with past years, each LOC will be able to book one place without charge. 24 dispensingoptics June 2014 Innovation and differentiation were the buzzwords as the profession and industry united in their support of the inaugural Optrafair London ‘UK Optics plc’ supports new London show FMO chairman, Barry Dibble (left), with chief executive, Malcolm Polley N ew gadgetry, space age diagnostics, bespoke contact lenses, business advice, significant advances in IT and fashion eyewear enticed a total of 4,616 visitors to the first-ever Optrafair London, held from 13-15 April at Olympia National. “We had an incredible response from visitors and exhibitors alike and we are delighted to have such a strong platform to build upon for future shows,” said Barry Dibble, chairman of the Federation of Manufacturing Opticians (FMO), which staged the event in partnership with Optician journal. “The width and breadth of UK Optics plc came together at Olympia for us. “We know there are aspects of the show that can be developed and we are keen to do this – nothing stands still in optics,” Barry continued. “We value the support of our loyal optical supplier members and work closely with them to produce an event which works in their best interests.” As show owners, the FMO partnered for the first time with Optician journal - and its sister company Reed Exhibitions – a partnership that will be repeated in April 2015 at the NEC, when the show returns to Birmingham. “Demand has been very, very, brisk for exhibitors to secure their favoured locations for Birmingham and some 33 companies have signed contracts for 36 stands at the show – while a dozen more have signed letters of intent for specific stand options. A further 30 suppliers are discussing the size and positions of their place at the event,” said Barry. “We have some exciting marketing plans and initiatives for Birmingham and look forward to launching these in the forthcoming months.” International flavour Compared to its Birmingham counterpart, Optrafair London had a more international feeling as it won praise from overseas visitors. Fabrice Aubinais, La Font commercial director for France, UK and Spain, commented: “This is an essential and long overdue move to London. It was very well organised and I have made some recommendations to Silmo on the basis of what we have seen here, particularly with communication and signage. We have been busy, mainly with independents. We are very happy with Optrafair as since exhibiting at the Birmingham show last year, we have grown our UK business by 69 per cent.” Face à Face sales manager, Camilla Brusco, also visiting from France, said: “We have enjoyed promoting our Face à Face, Woow and Bocca collections to UK customers. With their leg feature arms, the frames are aimed at confident, sexy and sophisticated ladies.” Orange Eyewear concentrated on selling its ‘everyday product’ and reported excellent sales particularly to customers from Ireland, Scotland and Nigeria. “The show has been an excellent way to show off our products and we have opened a lot of new accounts,” said sales manager, Claire Housden. There was a contingent of contact lens companies at the show, including David Thomas Contact Lenses, exhibiting for the first time for more than 20 years. Kevin Mitchell, managing director of the specialist manufacturer, commented: “It was a very interesting show to walk around and the Olympia hall brought great character to the event with a buzz about the place. We have seen a lot of overseas visitors and exhibiting was certainly the right move for us. The number of enquiries has been pleasantly surprising with plenty of interest, not just from the UK, but also from Italy and Nigeria and other countries.” With its large stand CooperVision also enjoyed the open-minded mood of visitors. “We saw a great spectrum of customers and on the first day alone fitted 30 people with lenses for MyDay comfort trials – it was a great opportunity for practitioners to learn more about the daily disposables,” said Fiona Phelan, trade marketing executive. “Olympia is a lovely building full of natural light. The show SHAMIR ™ DUO » O Offers surface continuity, improving aesthetics by eliminating the visible line found in conventional bifocal designs. » Eliminates image jump by offering continuity between vision zones. » Available in a wide variety of materialss including high index, tinted, polarized and photochromic options. » Ideal solution for presbyopes with progressive lens adaptation difficulties. 26 dispensingoptics June 2014 Busy on the ABDO College and Bookshop stand Visitors and exhibitors enjoyed the light and airy venue Meeting Liverpool FC fans on the Fan Frames stand came together really nicely and was so accessible.” Tim Peterson explained: “The show has been very good and we have opened a lot of new accounts, from a small stand. We did a lot of work before the show with our website and online activity to ensure that we came at the top of any Google search. We also had a lot of success promoting our other more sophisticated brands.” Technology to the fore Clearlab, returning to the UK market after a six-year pause, saw the event as a great means to re-engage with High Street practices and to promote its own label and coloured lens options. “We really like this venue and have attracted a lot of people to the stand,” said Dominique Gastaldi, European sales manager. “We have been keen to promote the Clearlab label and our high levels of service with same day deliveries.” Orders on the table For UK frame company, Dunelm, export proved to be a hit with orders written for Iceland, Tanzania, Malta, Trinidad and Tobago, as director Peter Beaumont said: “People came purposely looking for good quality frames and it has been lovely to be in the heart of London and picking up international trade. Export has been excellent.” Howard Librae, managing director of Brulimar concurred: “The venue has a great charm about it and we are in central London, which has been a draw, especially for overseas orders.” Viva Eyewear, marking the merge with Marcolin at the show, enjoyed the natural daylight’s effect on the show atmosphere. “We love this intimate venue in central London and the natural light which has poured through the glass roof – we have seen a lot of customers, particularly from Ireland,” said sales manager, Andrew Arbuthnot. Budget children’s eyewear under the Moshi Monsters label was a hit for White Optics, as sales director, Business matters were a primary reason for many to visit buying groups CECOP, and the National Eyecare Group keen to promote the benefits of their membership schemes, plus the SPECS network, supported by Seiko Optical. Financial advice was on offer from Snowbird, LDF, Braemar and Performance Finance. Patrick Myers, director of Myers La Roche said: “The name Optrafair has a caché – people know it and trust it, and they came for that reason. We’ve had all sorts of enquiries – potential buyers, two practice sales and plenty of marketing advice sought. Visitors came mainly from London and the south east with a good number from Ireland.” Benefitting from pre-show marketing was Optix practice management software. “We have seen many warm leads and benefitted from referrals from our existing users,” said finance director, Andrew Harrison. “People have been very impressed with the MySite dimension of our system. This allows patients to visit the website and make bookings, to check when their next appointment is and when their contact lenses are due to be delivered or specs to be collected. It provides a much more rounded level of customer service and means of sharing information.” Largest of the exhibitor groups were the technology companies – many with new products to launch. Chris Tyler, CEO of Birmingham Optical, said the company had enjoyed being in London and that the “quality of visitors had been high, particularly with interest in OCT and other advanced technology.” Grafton Optical brought new diagnostics to the market with the Clearpath by MediTech autofluorescence measuring unit for picking up the first signs of diabetes via the crystalline lens. “The potential for this product within opticians, clinics and hospitals is really significant,” said Grafton Optical managing director, Brian Bowles. Also leading with innovation was IPRO International from Stuttgart with its 3D eye examination system. “We want to change the approach to the eye examination and we are doing this by using 3D TV, via an iPad, in 70 per cent of the usual testing time – it is much quicker, especially with older people and children,” said director, Martin Himmelsbach. Proud to promote UK manufacturing was Keeler. Sales and marketing director, Roy Stoner, said: “We have been very keen to support the show in London. Our new Symphony digital slit lamp has been a great talking point as have the new LED lights for updating existing retinascopes.” Topcon launched no less than nine new products. Managing director, Andy Yorke, said: “After a good start on Friday, Saturday’s attendance left us with some degree of concern, however, Sunday certainly put our fears to bed as attendance was good Optrafair London Continental Eyewear’s Neal Grimason meets with customers MyDay comfort trials on the CooperVision stand Heidelberg Engineering demonstrated the Spectralis OCT and business was very brisk indeed. I think we cemented our position as the UK's leading OCT and imaging supplier, as our sales of this specific part of our product range were well beyond expectations. We are looking forward to 2015 with a high degree of positivity,” Andy added. lab needs, while Birmingham Optical demonstrated its Nidek automated technology, with a host of suppliers promoting lab tools and glazing accessories. praised the move of Optrafair to London, saying: “This show has been a good foundation to build upon, especially in making international connections. It is important that London has a show as it is the capital of the world. The location is excellent.” Heidelberg Engineering director, Krysten Williams, said that the show had been tremendous for many companies who had worked hard before coming to Olympia. “We have seen targeted customers and demonstrated the Spectralis OCT to pre-booked appointments. We know that you get out what you put into a trade show. If a company just expects people to come that is a shame. Our education Show and Tell sessions on acquisition and interpretation of imaging clearly demonstrated that we want people to know more and we believe that our clinical knowledge sets us apart.” Lenstec Optical Group used the show to cement its acquisition of Rawdon Optical in customers’ minds. “The easy location provided a great opportunity to wave the group flag. We have been very pleased with the show as we have met a number of customers that we have not seen before and been able to tell them about our comprehensive lab offering and new coating plant,” said sales director, Martin Burroughs. Essilor UK managing director, Mike Kirkley praised the “bright, airy venue”, which attracted plenty of visitors from the south east and north west. Norville Autoflow promoted its edging and surfacing technology to suit a variety of practice Breadth of optics The all-embracing nature of the show, where large multi-nationals exhibited alongside single handed suppliers, proved part of the charm, as voiced by Steve Whale, managing director of small display and ticketing company, E.W. Morris: “I like the fact that I have been able to be among the larger companies and in a very busy footfall area. I have seen new customers from France, Nigeria and Australia, but largely Irish and English visitors. It has been great to have face-to-face contact with existing suppliers too.” Mewscraft shop fitters and practice designers were “really pleased to be at the show”, as managing director, Hal Cripwell, said: “This is a great part of London and we love the hall. We have taken some orders and have some promising interest and leads.” Cesare Conti, president of Centrostyle, Topcon launched nine new products Boots Opticians’ new managing director, Ben Fletcher, said Optrafair London provided a great opportunity to take the company’s plans forward and to promote its ambitious opening programme of 40 new stores within the next 12 months. He said: “I like the variety of the show and it is good to be part of a competitive industry as it forces us to be our best. It is great to see a real range of equipment and other practice operators: there is so much opportunity in the UK for our business.” After the event, the FMO and Optician thanked the industry for its support and said much could be developed from this initial show. Optrafair returns to Birmingham in April 2015, with a further show planned for London in 2016. n 28 dispensingoptics June 2014 Peter Black Black arts Since my last Black Arts, I have been busy attending amongst other things ABDO College trustees and ABDO board meetings, the new AOP Independent Practitioners Committee, Ophthalmic Public Health Committee at the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Optrafair London, and a highly enjoyable week working in Malaysia examining and presenting the new graduates with their certificates. MSc coming soon I will leave it to Huntly Taylor, chair of trustees, and the excellent publication Review to update you on ABDO College activity, however, one point of note is the expectation that, in collaboration with Canterbury Christ Church University, ABDO College will have an MSc programme by 2015 open to all BSc and FBDO members meeting the entry requirements. Anecdote and experience are now insufficient to convince government and regulators to change a policy. It is important that we develop critical thinking and academic research to generate evidence to fight our corner in the future. Board meeting report It was agreed at this board meeting that we would look again at publishing redacted minutes of our meetings on the ABDO website in the near future. Members expecting to see a verbatim report of who said what will be disappointed as it is important to note that all boards of directors have collective responsibility, a duty to maintain confidentiality and a duty to present a consensus view along agreed lines. Optical assistant training Other than routine president, general secretary and financial officer reports, this meeting only had two other significant items: a review of the conference (which has thankfully broken even) and a discussion on supporting the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers (WCSM) in its training of optical assistants. The board considered the sometimes expressed view that optical assistants are stealing dispensing opticians’ jobs and came to the opposite opinion. Since partial deregulation of ophthalmic dispensing, our profession has actually gone from strength to strength – doubling in number over the past 25 years. The vast majority of our members work with optical assistants on a daily basis, and it is clear that a large percentage of fitness to practise cases are brought against registrants who have fallen foul of supervision regulations because their optical assistant colleague didn’t know any better and broke the law on their behalf. Currently, optical chains with training departments are easily able to ensure compliance with standard operating procedures on paediatric dispensing and other regulated functions via vocational qualifications. It is less easy for independent practices and it is our hope that ABDO can assist the WCSM in promoting high standards of staff training and in particular assist with the in-practice assessment qualification that is so beneficial to practices. Independent Practitioners Committee The Optical Confederation considers a thriving independent sector vital to the optical economy and has asked the AOP to take the lead on providing support. ABDO was invited to the table in reflection of the fact that many independent practices are owned outright or in partnership by DOs. The committee reviewed extensive research that the AOP has commissioned into the independent sector, which will doubtless be covered in Optometry Today going forward. It is no surprise that half of independent optometrists believed low NHS fees to be one of their top three concerns for their profession. However, it did surprise me that nearly half of optometrists working in the corporate sector selected “financial pressure compromising clinical standards and public safety”. Clearly, financial pressure in practice is inextricably linked with low NHS fees and the cross subsidy of NHS work by the private sale of spectacles and contact lenses that are themselves under threat from internet supply. Will this research be the wake-up call we need at the Department of Health? I certainly hope so. The rise and rise of OPH I was honoured to attend the Ophthalmic Public Health (OPH) Committee as an observer and witness the collaboration of the sight loss sector, patient groups, ophthalmology, optometry, optics, orthoptics, nursing, and social care for the good of the public. The committee agreed a new definition of Ophthalmic Public Health specifically focusing on: • Prevention of poor eye health and sight loss • Promotion of good eye health and sight Black arts • Improving eye health and eye health and care services • Equitable access to effective, timely, integrated services and support for independent living ABDO is a staunch supporter of the OPH agenda, sponsoring half a dozen members on the Leeds course in April, and providing our second home grown course for all eyecare and sight loss professionals at ABDO College this month. Optrafair London Optrafair London was well attended, and certainly the CET sessions supported by ABDO on the Friday were almost full to capacity. The presence of two large spring exhibitions, plus the BCLA has resulted in ABDO moving back to annual autumn conferences. Our next is likely to be the second or third weekend in September 2015 just in time for the final rush for points at the end of the CET cycle. Illegal supply At Optrafair I was asked to present an ‘Ask the expert’ session entitled, ‘When is supplying glasses and contact lenses illegal?’ You might be asking what qualifies me as a so-called ‘expert’ in a legal subject. In fact, I have studied law four times in my career. It started within my Ophthalmic Dispensing course in Glasgow back in the late 1980s when law, as well as marketing, management and economics formed part of the full time course back then. After I qualified, I did Law A’ Level at night school, then as part of my training qualification with the Institute of Personnel and Development. More recently, law formed part of my Masters degree in Business Administration. I have also successfully represented myself in court against Merseyside Police for an alleged motoring offence, and navigated a divorce without the aid of a solicitor. So when is supplying glasses and contact lenses illegal? The quick answer to that is: “More often than you think”. A few years ago, ABDO set out to collect evidence of illegal sale of spectacles and contact lenses thinking we would get evidence against online suppliers. What we actually got was evidence of illegal supply of regulated categories of optical appliance by registered optical practices – typically the ones that don’t employ DOs or where OAs are not properly supervised. It is clear that people haven’t taken the rules seriously over the years as a raft of fitness to practise cases centring on the supervision of regulated functions – principally dispensing to children – have proven. There is also, of course, the vexed issue of the internet. We are all aware of online suppliers, generally offshore, who will supply contact lenses without a valid specification, spectacles to children, and inappropriate low vision aids to the certified visually impaired – all of which are arguably illegal in this country. And yet, to sell is human. People will always be creative and innovative in coming up with ideas to make money. Who of us hasn’t sat down and spent time thinking about how we might earn more or make more money for the businesses we own or work within? So imagine you have the idea to set up an online company supplying specs and contact lenses to anyone who wants them in the UK. How would you know whether your idea is legal? How do you decide whether the activities normally carried out by a registered optical practitioner in a registered optical practice are legal to be carried out online in the UK? Where would you find that information? The answer is with great difficulty. You might think that the Opticians Act 1989 (as amended 2005) would tell you all you need to know? But you would be wrong. You would hope that the Act would point you in the direction of GOC Rules of Council and ABDO/ College of Optometrists Advice and Guidance? It doesn’t. Yet these are essential to interpreting the law correctly. British Standards form an integral part of the law but you could be forgiven for not knowing which ones, and not spending thousands of pounds finding out. Finally standard practice and legal precedent including fitness to practise cases from pharmacy, medicine and dentistry must also be taken into account. By the time you read this, the GOC will be a long way into its consultation on illegal supply. I hope at the end of the process, it recognises that part of the problem is its inability to update rules in a timely fashion and keep all the salient information in one place so that any registrant, member of the public or potential online entrepreneur can access it – and understand it. Peter Black n Young apprentices to start pilot programme The Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers (WCSM) has announced that eight apprentices, aged between 18 and 22, have been accepted for the three-year advanced apprenticeship pilot programme established by the City of London Livery Companies’ Apprenticeship Scheme (LCAS). The allocation of eight places to the WCSM is the highest to any one Livery Company. The scheme, which the WCSM helped to set up last year, is funded by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Company secured over £130,000 to support the optical industry. The money will flow from LCAS directly to the employer. “We have recruited five of the apprentices from the manufacturing industry, and the other three from glazing laboratories across England,” said Gordon Jones, WCSM deputy master. “The Apprenticeship is a demanding and challenging programme: in the first year the apprentices will gain a range of Level 2 qualifications, in year 2 the Level 3 Diploma in Spectacle Manufacturing and in year 3 the Level 4 Diploma for Optical Technicians – the SMC (Tech) qualification.” n 30 dispensingoptics June 2014 Owen Blee A Seraphin frame from Ogi Eyewear Two DOs appointed to interim Luxury US brand Ogi signs Irish optical board new UK deal Dispensing opticians, Owen Blee and Vivienne Starr, have been appointed to Ireland’s new Interim Optical Registration Board of CORU – the new regulator overseeing the 14 healthcare professions – along with four optometrists. The interim Optical Registration Board has been appointed to support the transfer of functions from the Opticians Board to CORU. The Opticians Board, which has regulated the professions in Ireland since it was established under the Opticians Act in 1956, will be abolished once that is complete. Legislation to enable the transfer is expected to be laid before the Irish parliament shortly. Owen Blee told Dispensing Optics: “It's a great honour to be asked to support CORU as they move towards establishing the new Optical Registration Board. There are big changes afoot in healthcare regulation in Ireland and this period of modernisation is very positive.” n Ogi Eyewear, the American eyewear company launched in 1997 and renowned for its high quality and innovative frames worldwide, has signed a distribution agreement with UK and Ireland eyewear distributor, Carina Eyewear. The agreement, signed in January 2014, will see the launch of Ogi, Innotec and Seraphin Eyewear collections in the UK and Irish marketplace. “This strategic partnership will strengthen our position and business in the UK and Ireland,” said Ogi Eyewear president, Joseph Tallier. “Carina Eyewear’s team is extremely talented and we are really proud to work with them.” Carmela Ariano of Carina Eyewear added: “We are delighted to be partnering with a market leader in affordable luxury eyewear. Ogi, Innotec and Seraphin Eyewear frames are truly unique.” Contact Carmela at Carina Eyewear on 07504 612991 or email [email protected] n Michelle makes the leap into independent practice Michelle Derbyshire has left her position as ABDO College head of operational services, to begin the “utterly terrifying” venture of running her own independent practice in Folkestone, Kent. It was in 2001 that Michelle first joined ABDO College, in Godmersham, Kent, from City & Islington College in London, as the technician. She then became head of the distance learning institute (later renamed operational services) in 2004, concentrating on growing the number and types of courses offered and managing the business side of the College. Michelle told Dispensing Optics: “I have spent the past 13 years helping to build the business of the College, ensuring the courses run smoothly, managing the student accommodation and the bookshop. Whilst I have learnt – and achieved – so much during my time with the College, and enjoyed it immensely, the opportunity to run my own business was just too good to miss.” Michelle is delighted to have bought 80-year-old Drake-Ardens Opticians in the historic port town. “It’s a traditional independent practice with great potential,” Michelle added, “and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in. My friends and colleagues have been really supportive and encouraging. Their confidence and faith in me to succeed is inspiring, reassuring and utterly terrifying!” Michelle Derbyshire Michelle will continue her association with ABDO, on a part-time basis, helping members to engage with their Local Eye Health Networks. n Newsbrief Lens education at ABDO College Joint webinar educates on new lens technologies European contact lens sales reported PPG Industries recently presented a seminar with ABDO College as part of the new Trivex Lens Specialist Practice Programme in the UK. Students at ABDO College took part and more than 250 DOs and OOs registered, with 180 registrants receiving one CET point. The latest figures from Euromcontact on sales of contact lenses and lens care products show that the market value of soft contact lenses at industry to eyecare professionals level grew by 3.6 per cent to 1.468m euros in 2013. With a total of 13.5 per cent (+7.1 per cent) of The course presented new technologies and advancements in spectacle lens materials and emphasised that dispensing opticians can help increase their patients’ comfort if they understand the advantages of, and embrace the use of, new lens materials. Kevin Gutsell, ABDO vice president, Dora Plisic, PPG trade manager, optical materials, and Keith Cross, PPG prescription ABDO CET technology director, optical materials, presented the course and then responded to questions submitted online. Michael Potter, ABDO head of marketing and communications, said: “ABDO College is delighted to partner with PPG to host this webinar because we believe it is vitally important that opticians keep pace with new lens technologies. As some ABDO members find it difficult to attend training events in person, the webinar platform offers a convenient way for them to learn how patients can benefit from innovative lens materials and to still earn a valuable CET point.” the 15 to 64-year-old population wearing contact lenses, Sweden is leading the penetration ranks, ahead of Norway (10.5 per cent, +9.5 per cent) and Denmark (10.5 per cent, +3.3 per cent). Lowest among the eleven is Spain (3.4 per cent, -1.1 per cent). n View a video replay of the event by visiting www.trivexspecialist.co.uk n Telephone 01206 734155 Fax 01206 734156 Dual optics lens option Duette Progressive is No7’s newest hybrid contact lens for presbyopes of all ages. Duette Progressive utilises dual optics, using a near centre aspheric add zone in combination with a distance asphere to provide a seamless progression of powers from distance to near. The lenses come in a choice of three add powers, providing every patient with a personalised solution for their visual needs. The hybrid platform delivers unmatched centration and stability of the GP optics, said the company. Visit www.no7contactlenses. com n ]UWSgSeSO`Q][""%#"$ '' 32 dispensingoptics June 2014 Fix up, look sharp 28 summer BUYS. the new way to wear brights. cAPITAL STYLE PLUS SALON TIPS FOR SPECS WEARERS Claudia Schiffer by Rodenstock lOTTIE WEARS: jacket, £60, Oasis (oasis-stores.com), T-shirt, £160, Toga (selfridges.com), jesse frames, £69, Specsavers In association with Frame style on Shop London Complete spectacles collection relaunched Frames in focus on fashion hub Rodenstock has relaunched its Complete Spectacles Collections with new frame models, updated lenses and some price reductions. Specsavers is hoping to up its fashion credentials by sponsoring the London Evening Standard’s editorial platform, Shop London. Several new, exciting and on-trend ranges have been introduced – including Claudia Schiffer by Rodenstock, featuring vintage, boyfriend and oversized design concepts, and the retro Rocco by Rodenstock with 32 new models. Rodenstock lens product manager, Debbie Bathgate, said: “We now offer a fantastic wide range of spectacle collections to appeal to opticians’ complete customer base. We’ve included our most comprehensive range of single vision, near vision, progressive lenses and bifocal plastic lenses – a full range of tints, coatings, ColorMaticIQ, ColorMatic Contrast IQ and polarised lenses,” added Debbie. n Collaborating with the publication’s fashion team, Specsavers’ in-house frame stylist will be matching frames to different London trends, and providing style tips. The campaign extends online with a dedicated Specsavers fashion hub until October, and incorporates a supplement to coincide with London Fashion Week. Tim Sebire, Specsavers regional marketing manager, said: “Synonymous with the London fashion community, the Evening Standard’s Shop London and upcoming London Fashion Week supplement provide an excellent and integrated platform to engage with style-conscious consumers and build on Specsavers’ current fashion credentials.” n Briggs joins WCO Focusing on solutions Former Vision Aid Overseas chief executive, Natalie Briggs, is the new chief executive of the World Council of Optometry (WCO). Dispensing optician, Chris Hirst, has joined Shamir UK as area lens consultant for the North East region. Natalie said: “I think that WCO has an extremely important global agenda that will have a huge impact on the eradication of avoidable visual impairment. I am delighted to be joining WCO and I look forward to working with colleagues to develop our strategy.” n Qualifying in 1994 from Bradford and Ilkley Community College, Chris joins the lens company from the Rayner Group where most recently he was Northern sales director. He said: “With such an innovative and extensive portfolio of lenses I feel that I can really support eyecare professionals by offering solutions for all of their patients’ needs.” n Call to end “invisible epidemic” of vision loss The European Coalition for Vision (ECV) met recently with the European Union (EU)’s Directorate General for Health and Consumers and EUROSTAT, the statistical office of the EU, to reiterate its call to European decision-makers to include eye health and vision in the European political agenda. Earlier this year, in an event supported by several Members of the European Parliament, the ECV launched its Manifesto for the European Parliament elections in which it calls on the European parliament to use its powers to improve the lives of people affected by vision impairment or at risk of vision loss. ”Europe is facing an invisible epidemic, with an estimated 20.4 million people in the whole of Europe suffering from serious vision impairment – including 2.3 million who are blind,” said Bob Chappell, past president of the European Council of Optometry and Optics. “Without adequate action, these worrying numbers will only increase with the rise of diabetes and the ageing population. Shamefully, twothirds of these cases could actually be prevented or treated and are not.” n Newsbrief Fresh new interior design Conlons branch celebrates new opening New-look for Lutterworth practice Let them eat cake Edmonds and Slatter Opticians has welcomed patients back to practice following a major refit, which included a new interior and improved facilities for patients and staff. “We have a very loyal customer base both from Lutterworth itself and from a wide surrounding area. We want to provide not only the very best eyecare but a really up-to-date environment for patients.” Conlons’ Ashton branch recently celebrated the opening of its new state-ofthe-art practice with a specially designed cake. brand new ranges of designer frames and offer the latest in eye testing equipment and hearing care.” Dispensing optician Jo Benfield, who manages the practice and has worked in Lutterworth for more than 20 years, said the refit represented a major investment for the successful firm. She said: “We pride ourselves on giving individual attention to our patients. We also make regular new additions to our choice of frames and the new practice interior is the ideal setting to display them,” added Jo. n The branch on Mercian Way has been refitted with a bright interior including furniture and displays and new ranges of designer spectacles and sunglasses. The branch also celebrated the arrival of a new manager, Helen Tornambe, who said: “I am delighted to be joining the excellent team here at Conlons in Ashton. We have some Pictured above from the left are Estella Rust, Helen Tornambe, Philip Owen and Renee Evers-Buckland. No more lines and jumps Shamir Duo is described as a new freeform bifocal lens that does away with the age-related visible line, as well as the visually uncomfortable jump between vision zones. “Shamir Duo offers a uniquely aesthetic appearance, improving the way the wearer looks, as well as improving the way they see,” said Shamir general manager, Phil Bareham. “Flat-top bifocals are a popular conventional solution for presbyopic needs, but they are not without their drawbacks. The visible line across the lens gives the wearer a decidedly age-related look. In addition, it creates a disturbing visual jump when the eye moves from one visual zone to another.” n New charity role Tony Rucinski, a former director of Scope and trustee of the RNIB, is the new CEO of the Macular Society – replacing Helen Jackman who is relocating to Canada. Tony said: “I believe in abundant life after sight loss, so it is a huge privilege to be working for the largest and best membership-led organisation in the sight loss sector.” www.macularsociety.org n * A. Robinson Opticians in Ulverston has joined the Conlons group. Dispensing optician Rachel Dacre, previously manager of Conlons in Kendal, has joined the team as manager. n Optician Index - March 2014 summary • Total turnover for March falls by 0.5 per cent to 172 Index points from February this year but a quarterly comparison with the same period last year is positive by 0.2 per cent • Total number of eye examinations for March falls by one per cent to 103 Index points from February and the quarterly comparison is negative at -3 per cent • Average monthly turnover per eye examination is £2 lower for the first quarter of this year compared to the same quarter in 2013 at £173.43 • Sample average dispensing is 3 per cent lower than March 2013, at 93 Index points • Contact lens solution sales are 12 per cent higher than March last year, at 90 Index points The full December 2013 Optician Index report was published in the 31 January 2014 issue of Optician 34 dispensingoptics June 2014 Colour lenses fresh to market New Heston Blumenthal sunglasses The EZi scleral lens applicator Eclectic ingredients for latest collection Easing the fitting process Chef Heston Blumenthal has launched his second eyewear collection at Vision Express, featuring 68 pieces across three collections. The EZi scleral lens applicator is now available from No7 Contact Lenses – to help ‘ease’ one of the most challenging aspects of scleral contact lens fitting. British eyewear design house Inspecs collaborated with the chef to ensure the frames reflected his inventive and creative nature, delivering frames handcrafted in both acetate and metal. Heston Blumenthal commented: “Following the success of the debut range, the objective was to inject different ingredient based colours as well as a sharp, accurate, clean design to the glasses, and I am extremely pleased with the finished product. To me, eyewear goes far beyond the lens. The innovation and technical precision that has gone into each and every piece is something I’m proud to put my name to.” n “Their relatively large diameter and the need for a saline reservoir make these lenses a little more ‘fiddly’ to apply for patients and practitioners alike,” said Maxine Green, No 7 commercial director. “The new EZi scleral lens ring has a plastic applicator that is placed on the finger. The lens is then easily balanced on the platform for application.“ The rings come in various finger sizes. Telephone 01424 850620 for information. n ABDO CET Telephone 01206 734155 Fax 01206 734156 New colour contact lens range Alcon has launched a new monthly colour contact lens with silicone hydrogel technology – Air Optix Colors. “This is a significant breakthrough for a contact lens category that hasn’t seen change in more than a decade,” said Franck Leveiller, head of research and development, vision care at Alcon. “Consumers want natural-looking colour lenses to enhance the beauty of their eyes, but they also want the latest scientific innovation in lens comfort and breathability. With Air Optix Colors, they now get both.” Air Optix Colors are made of lotrafilcon B, the same material as Air Optix Aqua contact lenses. They offer an identical 33 per cent water content and oxygen transmission, and feature the smooth, permanent plasma surface technology for superior wettability, deposit resistance and consistent comfort, said Alcon. The lenses also utilise Alcon’s three-inone FreshLook Colorblends technology, encapsulating the colour within the lens material to reduce colour interaction with the eye and maintain eye health. Available as plano, they come in nine different colours with no refit required for current Air Optix Aqua lens wearers. Area news Area 4 (East Anglia): Inside track on AR coatings Area 4 members were invited to the offices of Shamir Optical UK in Bar Hill, Cambridge, on 29 April to participate in a CET evening and learn more about AR coatings from Shamir project manager, Tanya Storey. Also on the agenda was an informative tour of the lab provided by Gaynor Williams – with Shamir sales consultant for East Anglia, Andrew Copley, on hand to talk through the latest advances in Shamir's lens portfolio and demonstrate new tools designed to aid the practitioner in taking accurate measurements for freeform lens designs. “We’d like to say a big thank you to Shamir Optical for supporting our Area,” said Joanne Abbott, Area 4 secretary. n Newsbrief Subtle change in iris colour could indicate Rb Classic ‘white eye’ or leukocoria that parents often spot in photos as a first sign of Rb Professions back push on child eye cancer diagnosis The Royal College of Ophthalmologists and the College of Optometrists are supporting an initiative from the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) to help cut delays in diagnosis of childhood eye cancer. The opticians’ protocol on suspected retinoblastoma was developed by CHECT to prevent babies and young children with eye cancer having their diagnosis delayed. Figures’ from CHECT show that in general, opticians are correctly referring on children with suspected retinoblastoma (Rb). However, some children face delays in obtaining appointments or are turned away by staff unaware of the signs and symptoms of the disease and the need for urgent examination. CHECT chief executive, Joy Felgate, said: “We want to ensure that no child displaying signs of retinoblastoma is turned away from an optician without the correct information about where to go next. We want all optical practices in the UK to adopt our protocol, and having the support of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and the College of Optometrists is a huge step towards this.” CHECT’s protocol aims to address this by stating that all staff working in an optical practice should be aware of the main signs of Rb which include: a white reflex (leukocoria) or an abnormal reflex in flash photographs; a recently onset squint; a change in colour to the iris; a deterioration in vision. Occasionally a Dispensing Optician Required To work in our friendly independent practice with excellent supporting staff Must be capable of leading, motivating and inspiring our small team Based in Wombwell, South Yorkshire 3.5 days per week to include Saturday mornings An application form can be downloaded from our website at www.ivisionopticians.com See ‘About Us’ page for download link Please note that only successful applicants will be contacted. retinoblastoma may present as a red, sore or swollen eye without infection. The protocol offers clear information on what action to take if a parent is concerned by any of these main symptoms of Rb. David Parkins, president of the College of Optometrists, said: “Retinoblastoma is a rare but very serious condition and we are pleased that optometrists are making appropriate referrals. This protocol will help other staff who work in optical practices ensure they give appropriate advice to parents whose children may have this condition.” CHECT is urging all eyecare practitioners to download and implement the protocol at www.chect.org.uk n Rt Hon David Blunkett with Philip Banton Blunkett visits Sheffield practice Local MP for Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough, the Rt Hon David Blunkett MP, visited Frith Park Eye Care in Sheffield recently to hear about the benefits of regular eye examinations from optometrist and former secretary of Sheffield Local Optical Committee, Philip Banton. Philip said: “In Sheffield we are very proud of the additional community eyecare services that we offer. Sheffield LOC and NHS Sheffield have worked closely together over a number of years to develop local community eyecare services. This means we can now deliver eyecare that is over and above the normal examination.” n WANTED QUALIFIED DISPENSING OPTICIAN Full-time or part-time Strabane, Co Tyrone Contact Donal McGovern on 07798738627 Or send CV to [email protected] 36 dispensingoptics June 2014 ABDO member Ronald Mattes found a new and rewarding professional interest in voluntary eyecare work with the homeless. Ann Johnson reports Ever-striving for progression, Shelly Bansal recalls some magic moments from his 35-year career as a CLO Magic moments Shelly Bansal H aving qualified as a dispensing optician in 1982, I went on to manage a city centre practice for Scrivens where they had a contact lens optician (CLO) in three days a week. As much as I enjoyed dispensing and managing, I very quickly realised that I wanted to become a CLO – especially after watching Keith Tizzard’s interaction with contact lens patients and seeing how much they valued his expertise. I enrolled onto the course and worked and trained with Keith on my day off. My first experience with a patient was one that I will never forget. Keith was delayed whilst travelling from Chesterfield, where he worked one day a week, and my practice in Sheffield. His first patient was waiting for him for some time and was starting to get uneasy. She was booked in to try contact lenses for the first time, and I felt that to avoid any further anxiety I would take her history and symptoms and keratometry reading. The first part went really well, however, I just couldn’t get any clear mires to take the keratometry reading. After about five minutes of trying and building up a sweat, I decide to ask our optometrist (Mr Bhogal) for help. He promptly came into my room and started chatting to my patient. He then asked her to take off her spectacles so that he could take some measurements. I felt a total numpty, but due to Mr Bhogal’s professionalism and ultra cool attitude, the patient was none the wiser that I was such a novice. Just then, Keith arrived and successfully fitted the patient with contact lenses. After closing the practice that evening, we all went for a drink and I got the biggest ribbing of my life – and rightly so. Proudly making a difference I then moved to Leadbeater and Peters where I was privileged to work with a fantastic team led by Robert King – the optometrist. Under his supervision, I started fitting contact lenses. My next magical moment occurred when I trialled a 60-year-old lady, who was about minus 12 in each eye, with rigid gas permeable lenses. A week or so after the fitting, she came in for me to show her how to put her lenses on and then to take them off. When she first put her lenses on, she said to me: “Shelly, do you realise that this is the first time in my life, that I have been able to see my face clearly in a mirror!” To this day, her statement moves me and I truly believe that contact lenses are a modern wonder of the world and suitable for almost everybody. I really cannot think of any other profession where a small device can make such a profound difference to someone’s life. A few years later, I moved to London to manage a flagship West End practice for Dollond & Aitchison, as one of its lead contact lens practitioners. Again I had the good fortune to work with, and learn from, an expert: Chris McMahon, who was a young optometrist from Australia and a wizard with contact lenses. It was then that I went to my first British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) clinical conference and exhibition courtesy of D&A. At first I was very apprehensive about going to what I thought was a conference for ‘experts’ only. So I was pleasantly surprised at how welcoming everyone was, and how inclusive the programme was. International and home grown speakers gave lectures, which were easy to follow, whilst being informative and innovative. The manufacturers’ exhibition highlighted new equipment and products, and gave me the chance to meet the teams behind the suppliers that I used. I came away with a better understanding of what I was doing, and how I could do it better and continue to offer my patients the very best in contact lens practice. Investing in personal progression Over the last 15 years I have attended every BCLA conference and I have never been disappointed. The workshops that I have attended have allowed me learn new techniques and to gain the confidence to fit specialist Disjointed jottings from a DO’s desk . . . contact lenses, including keratoconic lenses and orthokeratology. The social events have enabled me to make some great friendships and I now have a network of practitioners and experts that I can call on whenever I get stuck. For me, attending conference each year is an investment in my own progression and I would encourage anyone with an interest in contact lens practice to attend. Having gained so much from the BCLA and conference, I felt that it was pertinent to give back to the organisation. So 10 years ago I stood for, and was elected, onto the BCLA council where I represented CLOs. I was bestowed with the honour of being president for two years and this is one of the highlights of my professional career. My tenure on council is due to finish before conference this year and I can honestly say that I have had a tremendous time, and I hope that in some small way I have made a difference for the better. The BCLA needs continual support for CLOs and I would encourage anyone to stand as a representative for future vacancies. and working as a chef. I don’t believe that he would have achieved all of this without his contact lenses. Providing that ‘wow’ feeling In 1994 my wife and I opened our own practice. Contact lenses have been an integral part of the success of our practice. To this day, my exuberance to fit contact lenses is driven by the reaction that I get from patients when I first put contact lenses on their eyes. That first ‘wow’ moment is unsurpassed as a response, and applies equally to everyone from as young as six through to 60 years old. I am now into my 35th year in optics, and am still excited about what the future holds for contact lens opticians. I would encourage all dispensing opticians to develop their skills further by enrolling onto the Contact Lens Diploma course and for all contact lens opticians to become members of the BCLA and attend its annual conference so that they too can continue to be the best that they can be in their arena. In recent years, I have had plenty of my magic moments. One that stands out the most is that of a 14-year-old keratoconic patient that I fitted with SoClear 2 lenses. Alex was shy and reserved when I first met him, and his best-aided vision with spectacles was 6/24 in each eye. Having fitted him with contact lenses, he achieved 6/6 vision in each eye. He has since then passed his driving test, qualified as a snowboard instructor in Canada, and now is in Australia where he is travelling Shelly Bansal FBDO (Hons) CL, FBCLA is a qualified dispensing optician and contact lens specialist, and director of First Contact Opticians, Middlesex. He has lectured worldwide on best contact lens practice and is a key opinion leader for all the major contact lens companies. Shelly served two consecutive terms as president of the British Contact Lens Association, and is the current AOP Contact Lens Practitioner of the Year. n Book review The Wills Eye Manual Sixth Edition Office and emergency room diagnosis and treatment of eye disease By Adam T. Gerstenblith and Michael P. Rabinowitz Published by Walters Kluwer | Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins and available from the ABDO Bookshop priced £52 (ISBN 978-1-4511-7584-4) Reviewed by Antonia Chitty The Wills Eye Manual is, at first glance, a convenient ‘everything in one place’ guide for anyone in practice who wants a quick summary of a wide range of eye diseases. For each disease included in the book, the authors outline signs, symptoms, differential diagnosis, work up, treatment and follow-up. The book addresses different diseases in chapters, some based on cause, such as trauma, others based on parts of the eye, such as corneal diseases, retinal diseases, etc. There are chapters specific to paediatric eye disease, glaucoma, general ophthalmic problems and imaging modalities. There are two useful initial chapters on differential diagnosis, one focusing on symptoms, the other on signs, giving any practitioner a quick starting point to help determine more likely causes of eye problems. The editors explain that the book’s suggested treatment options are ‘guidelines not rules’ and indicate personal preferences of the writer. UK readers need to be aware that some drug names and, indeed, disease names and acronyms may be different as this book is written by US consultants. There is, however, a helpful guide to acronyms and a number of explanatory appendices. With these provisos, this would be a handy and affordable guide for any practice. n 38 dispensingoptics June 2014 This month’s Vision UK conference will include sessions on local level strategy and emotional support Local focus for Vision UK 2014 Strategy partners (l-r): Nick Astbury, Anita Lightstone, Lesley-Anne Alexander CBE, and Dr Ivo Kocur M ore than 500 delegates are expected to attend the sixth annual Vision UK conference on 12 June at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London. Regarded as the UK’s leading eye health and sight loss sector conference, the event brings together eye health and social care professionals, members of health and eyecare organisations, as well as representatives from the voluntary sector. This year’s conference also marks the first anniversary of the launch of the UK Vision Strategy 2013-2018, which sets out the framework for the future of eye health and sight loss across the UK. The conference will focus on ‘Turning the UK Vision Strategy into action’, and will feature a variety of expert panellists and speakers, with the keynote address to be delivered by Anne McGuire, MP for Stirling and current co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Disability Group (APPDG). As part of the ‘Strategy into action’ focus, the conference stream ‘Making the UK Vision Strategy happen’ will explain how the Vision Strategy 20132018 is being implemented at a practical level, and the importance of a collaborative national and local approach to ensure the best possible outcomes for the sight-impaired community. Chaired by Lesley-Anne Baxter, chair of the British and Irish Orthoptic Society, the session will bring together leading experts to explain how they have worked collaboratively with a range of stakeholders to turn the strategy’s framework into reality. The speakers are Wendy Macdowall, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Keith Valentine, director of empowerment, and Phil Ambler, director of policy for the Thomas Pocklington Trust; and Lesley Adams, Commissioning for Effectiveness and Efficiency project officer, South Devon and Torbay. Phil said: “Through our policy and empowerment work, the Thomas Pocklington Trust has been working with partners from health, local authority and the voluntary sector across London to ensure the needs of people with sight loss, and the importance of eye health, are brought to the fore at a local level by key decision makers. “Making use of Pocklington’s knowledge and extensive research, alongside that of other organisations, we have been gathering the views of local people and actively working with partners to address the key issues experienced by people with sight loss on a daily basis,” added Phil. Spotlight on emotional impact As well as exploring and discussing the issues surrounding eye health and sight loss on a national level, Vision UK 2014 will focus on the emotional impact of vision impairment, with a session chaired by Mhairi Thurston, lecturer at the University of Abertay and Chair of the Vision 2020 UK Counselling and Emotional Support Services Group. Mhairi is also a highly regarded researcher, and is currently leading a team who are delivering a practice model for counselling for people affected by sight loss. Mhairi commented: “The emotional impact of sight loss is just as significant as any physical and practical issues that can arise when someone starts to realise that their sight is deteriorating. It is wonderful that this is being recognised, both as a priority action as part of the UK Vision Strategy 2013-2018, and as part of the Vision UK 2014 conference programme,” says Mhairi. “Throughout my work, I have seen firsthand the emotional difficulties and problems experienced by many people when faced with sight problems,” continued Mhairi. “The provision of emotional support for sight loss is an area for nationwide service development. Although frontline services are improving, there is much to be done in terms of making sure that effective emotional support is available for all who require it. The emotional impact session will also feature Jo Pybis, research facilitator at the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy; Ann-Marie Boyd, vision support officer, Department of Ophthalmology, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee; and Ursula Ferguson, project coordinator, Looking Forward Project, RNIB Northern Ireland. Effective emotional support is a key priority of the UK Vision Strategy, with the aim of making this an integrated part of overall eyecare and sight loss services. The strategy outlines the requirement for tailored counselling and other services such as peer support network accessibility, to be made standard. To find out more about Vision UK 2014, visit www.visionuk.org.uk or call 01920 885 162. n The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre Diary of events Please check event details online for up-to-date information at www.abdo.org.uk 6-9 June BCLA - 38th BCLA Clinical Conference & Exhibition, ICC, Birmingham. Visit www.bcla.org.uk 9-11 June Introduction to Ophthalmic Public Health Course, ABDO College, Godmersham For further information or to book a place call 01227 738 829 (Option 1), or email [email protected] 12 June Vision UK 2014 - Eye health and sight loss sector conference, the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London. To register email [email protected] 24 & 25 June J&J Vision Care - ‘Practice made perfect – bringing it all together’, twoday course at the Vision Care Institute, Wokingham. For details visit www.thevisioncareinstitute.co.uk/ tvcicourses 25 June Area 10 (Kent) - CET evening at the Black Horse Inn, Pilgrims Way, Thurnham, Maidstone ME14 3LD, with up to six points available. 6:30 buffet for 7pm. Email [email protected] 26 June Area 7 (West Country) - CET evening, 6pm, Padbrook Park, Cullompton, Exeter 28 June Nystagmus Network Open Day, Mercure Leicester - Contact John Sanders on 029 2045 4242 or email [email protected] 6 July Area 3 (North West) - CET day, Ribby Hall Village, Ribby Road, Wrea Green, Preston PR4 2PR 6 & 7 July Independents Day - i-Day and i-Night, Hilton Metropole, Birmingham. For details visit www.independentsday.co.uk 8 July ABDO Golf Society - Challenge Cup competition, Moseley Golf Club, Birmingham. To play or join the society email Mike Stokes at [email protected] 10 July Area 10 (Kent) - Social event at the Chequers Inn, Watery Lane, Heaverham, Sevenoaks TN15 6NP. Come and play Bat & Trap, an old Kentish Game, £15 to cover cost of buffet with peer discussion for three CET points. Numbers limited so please apply early by emailing [email protected] 27-31 August ABDO College - Revision Courses, ABDO College, Godmersham 16 September ABDO Golf Society - Stercks Martin Salver competition, Horsley Lodge Golf Club and Hotel, Derbyshire. For details or to join the ABDO Golf Society contact Mike Stokes at [email protected] 20 September Area 12 (Scotland) - Entertainment evening, Edinburgh area. Details TBC 21 September Area 12 (Scotland) - CET day, Edinburgh area. Details TBC 22 September Area 10 (Kent) - CET evening, 6.30pm, the Queen’s Inn, Hawkhurst, Kent. Email [email protected] 22-28 September National Eye Health Week - Visit www.visionmatters.org.uk 24 September BCLA - Presidential Address with Susan Bowers. Royal College of Physicians. www.bcla.org.uk 26-29 September Silmo 2014 - Paris. Visit www.silmo.fr 29 September Area 5 (Midlands) - CET day, Manor Hotel, Meridan, Solihull. For details and booking email [email protected] 2 October Area 7 (West Country) - CET day, details to follow 23-24 October NOC 2014 - Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel. Contact the events team at the AOP on 020 7549 2062 or email [email protected] 24-30 October 30th Biennial Convention of the International Opticians Association Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Visit www.ioaoptician.org 27 & 28 October J&J Vision Care -‘Practice made perfect – bringing it all together’, two-day course at the Vision Care Institute, Wokingham. For details visit www.thevisioncareinstitute. co.uk/tvci-courses 16 & 17 November National Eyecare Group - ‘Building for success’ conference, East Midlands Conference Centre. Visit www.nationaleyecare.co.uk 26 November ABDO - Graduation and Prize Giving Ceremony, Canterbury Cathedral n Unless otherwise stated, details of all ABDO events and booking can be found at www.abdo.org.uk/events. ABDO members are welcome to attend Area meetings in any Area they wish dispensingoptics The Professional Journal of the Association of British Dispensing Opticians Volume 29 Number 6 of 12 EDITORIAL STAFF Editor Sir Anthony Garrett CBE Assistant Editor Jane Burnand Managing Editor Nicky Collinson Email [email protected] Design and Production Ros Argent Email [email protected] Administration Manager Deanne Gray Email [email protected] EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING Telephone 0781 273 4717 Email [email protected] SUBSCRIPTIONS UK £140 Overseas £150, including postage Apply to Tom Veti ABDO, Godmersham Park, Godmersham Kent CT4 7DT Telephone 01227 733922 Email [email protected] ABDO CET CET Coordinator Paula Stevens MA ODE BSc (Hons) MCOptom FBDO CL(Hons)AD SMC(Tech) ABDO CET, 5 Kingsford Business Centre, Layer Road, Kingsford, Colchester CO2 0HT Telephone 01206 734155 Email [email protected] Email [email protected] CONTINUING EDUCATION REVIEW PANEL Joanne Abbott BSc (Hons), FBDO, SMC (Tech) Keith Cavaye FBDO (Hons) CL FBCLA Andrew Cripps FBDO (Hons) PG Cert HE FHEA Kim Devlin FBDO (Hons) CL Stephen Freeman BSc (Hons) MCOptom FBDO (Hons) Cert Ed Abilene Macdonald Grute FBDO (Hons) SLD (Hons) LVA Dip Dist Ed Cert Ed Richard Harsant FBDO (Hons) CL (Hons) LVA Andrew Keirl BOptom (Hons) MCOptom FBDO Angela McNamee BSc (Hons) MCOptom FBDO (Hons) CL FBCLA Cert Ed Linda Rapley BSc FCOptom JOURNAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE Richard Crook FBDO Kim Devlin FBDO (Hons) CL Kevin Gutsell FBDO Ros Kirk FBDO Angela McNamee BSc (Hons) MCOptom FBDO (Hons) CL FBCLA Cert Ed Dispensing Optics is published by ABDO, 199 Gloucester Terrace, London W2 6LD Dispensing Optics is printed by Lavenham Press, Lavenham, Suffolk CO10 9RN © ABDO No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means whatever without the written prior permission of the publishers Dispensing Optics welcomes contributions for possible editorial publication. However, contributors warrant to the publishers that they own all rights to illustrations, artwork or photographs submitted and also to copy which is factually accurate and does not infringe any other party’s rights ISSN 0954 3201 Average circulation 2013: 9133 per issue - ABDO Board certification www.abdo.org.uk Stepper UK Eyewear Fashion That Fits Stephen wears frame style Si 20007 For more information call 01732 375975