FEBRUARY 2011 - National Eyecare Group

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24 BCLA 2011 FREE PLACES FOR NEW DELEGATES AT BCLA 2011 The British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) is offering 150 free new delegate places for its 35th Clinical Conference and Exhibition, to be held at the Manchester Central Convention Complex from 26 to 29 May. Available on a first come, first served basis, the 150 places are for full BCLA members who have never before attended a BCLA conference. The weekend package includes a conference and exhibition pass for the Saturday and Sunday, one gala dinner ticket for the Saturday evening and 3* hotel accommodation for Saturday night. The offer is available courtesy of New Delegate Sponsors – CIBA Vision, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Alcon, CooperVision, Bausch + Lomb and Topcon. BCLA president, Shelly Bansal, said: “We are extremely grateful to our sponsors who have made this unique offer possible. The Association is dedicated to ensuring its annual clinical conference suits the needs of all those with a passion for contact lenses. We look forward to welcoming all new delegates to BCLA 2011 and hope the event will be an experience to remember – both educationally and socially.” Applicants for the free new delegates package must be BCLA members, registered with the General Optical Council, General Medical Council or Irish Opticians Board and a resident of the UK or Republic of Ireland. The offer is not open to students or pre-registration students and will be withdrawn Finding out more about BCLA membership once 150 delegates have registered. Full terms and conditions can be found at www.bcla.org.uk or telephone 020 7580 6661. Something for everyone Having launched its 2011 conference scientific programme last month, the BCLA is gearing up for another action-packed conference and exhibition with plenty of new features to attract returning and new delegates, and to inspire the contact lens practitioners of the future. The aim is to provide a valuable learning experience for all delegates, whatever their level of skill and expertise, whilst providing a fun and relaxing social programme. BCLA 2011 is themed ‘Learn Today – Practice Tomorrow’. With a focus on education for all – the event will offer a host of new features with fresh and familiar faces on the programme, and a wide range of learning and handson events to join in. New features include: ● Clinical Spotlight sessions, including an update on myopia control ● Thursday evening non-clinical lecture on ‘Fun with visual illusions’ ● Practical sessions for those new, or returning, to contact lenses ● Exhibitor sessions in an exhibition pavilion ● General health and contact lens wear session ● First-ever session on corneal dystrophies ● Top 10 Tips Trophy Challenge with the experts This year’s keynote speakers are: Relaxing at the 2010 Patron Sponsor’s evening event ● BCLA Medallist Professor Mark Willcox (Australia) ● Irving Fatt Memorial Lecturer, Dr Jacinto Santodomingo (Spain) ● Professor William Ayliffe (UK) ● Professor Jo Bonnano (USA) ● Dr Kathy Dumbleton (Canada) ● Dr Lisa Keay (Australia) To help the BCLA celebrate its 35th conference, Dr Kathy Dumbleton will give a personal account of her 35 years of contact lens wear in: ‘The BCLA and me: a contact lens autobiography’. As always, the free BCLA exhibition will be at the heart of proceedings. The doors will open on Friday 27 May for three days of action on and off the 50 plus stands showcasing the latest innovations. A new feature for 2011 is an exhibition pavilion where exhibitors can run short sessions over the full three days. The social programme will be as packed as ever, with ‘crafty arty’ events available for accompanying persons, and a Bollywood Ball on the Saturday evening that promises a glamorous and fun-filled night. Visit the BCLA website to download provisional conference programmes and to register your place. Contact the BCLA office on 020 7580 6661 or email conf@bcla.org.uk * The BCLA has launched a Facebook page – ‘BCLA 2011’ – where members and others can find out more, and chat about this year’s conference and other BCLA events. Contact lens learning among like-minded colleagues
Charles H. Bailey OD, FAAO There are 20 schools and colleges of optometry in the US, including Puerto Rico. All of the US educational programmes require a bachelors degree before one can be admitted to a school or college of optometry. All the schools require taking the nationally administered Optometry Admission Test (OAT). The OAT consists of four tests: survey of the natural sciences, such as biology, general chemistry and organic chemistry; reading comprehension; physics; and quantitative reasoning. As a result, most applicants take the test after their sophomore or junior year in college, allowing them to re-take the test and raise their score. Most schools require a set of similar prerequisite courses in undergraduate school. All require at least one year of biology or zoology, general chemistry, general physics, English and college maths. The additional courses that are required in virtually all programmes are: calculus, human anatomy, human physiology, organic chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, statistics, and psychology. The few programmes, which do not require all of the courses listed, strongly recommend that the applicant take them all. Daunting graduate curriculum About one in three applicants nationwide are accepted. In some schools, the admission ratio is one admission for every seven to eight applicants. Being admitted is the first hurdle for potential optometrists after completing their prerequisites. The graduate curriculum is daunting. Earning the Doctor of Optometry degree requires successful completion of four years of postgraduate training, which is heavy academically for the first two years; the last two years are weighted to clinical patient care. Although many schools start with preclinical training in the first year, generally the first and second year are primarily devoted to didactics. Here at the Berkeley School of Optometry, California, students get their first ‘live’ patient care experiences late in their second year. The educational curriculum at Berkeley in the first year includes: anatomy and physiology of the eye; clinical examination of the visual system; geometric and physical optics; neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of the eye and visual system; visual perception and sensitivity; oculomotor functions and neurology; binocular vision and space perception; and eyecare business and professional management I. The second year student faces: a continuation of clinical examination of the visual system; infant vision; optics of ophthalmic lenses; systemic disease and its ocular manifestations; systemic pharmacology; diagnosis and treatment of sensory and motor anomalies; contact lenses: examination of the contact lens patient; and eyecare business and professional management II. In the third year, the student has a heavy load of patient care. Didactically, there are still a number of courses to be completed: advanced management NOTES FROM A BIG COUNTRY 25 Becoming an optometrist IN THE US I know very little about the educational and licensing requirements for optometrists in the UK, so I thought that maybe you folks across the pond might know little about the process in the US. So, here we go. and rehabilitation of sensory/motor anomalies; diagnosis and treatment of anterior segment ocular disease; low vision; diagnosis and treatment of posterior segment ocular disease; eyecare business and professional management III. The fourth year of professional education is devoted to clinical experience. At Berkeley, approximately half the year the student gains patient experience in external rotations all over the US – such as at veterans hospitals, military bases and hospital based centres. The remainder of the year is spent in patient care at the university clinics, specialising in contact lenses, binocular vision, low vision and other areas of special interest. By the time Berkeley students have finished their predoctoral clinical experience, on average they have had more than 2,500 patient encounters. Continuing the hurdles During their education, students must take and pass a series of standardised National Board examinations. These boards are divided into three parts. Part I of the National Boards is Applied Basic Sciences in which students are tested in anatomy, biochemistry/physiology, immunology/microbiology/pathology, optics and pharmacology. Part II covers patient assessment and management. Topics covered include: clinical presentation, clinical correlation of basic science principles, diagnosis/treatment/management and legal issues/ethics/public health. In Part III of the National Boards, Clinical Skills, candidates are tested on communication skills, affective skills, psychomotor skills, and clinical observation and reporting skills. Finally the student is ready for graduation, but there remains one more hurdle before the newly minted doctor of optometry is allowed to see patients on his/her own – state licensure. Most states have some sort of additional test that the applicant must pass in order to practise in that state. Unfortunately, we in the US do not have reciprocity in licensure, so the aspiring doctor must successfully satisfy each state’s individual requirements to gain a license to practise there. Although completing all of the foregoing ‘tests’ legally qualifies the optometrist to practise, many choose to apply for a residency to gain more in-depth experience in an area of interest. Most of the schools and colleges of optometry, the Veterans Administration and numerous medical schools offer post-doctorate residencies and fellowships. Special areas of concentration can be primary care, contact lenses, ocular disease, low vision and more. Residencies ease entry into a number of additional practice opportunities, such as teaching or academia, hospital-based practice, industry and other areas where specialty education care is needed and useful.
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FEBRUARY 2011 - National Eyecare Group

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