Jul 2017

THE MAGAZINE FOR NEW ZEALAND’S OPHTHALMIC COMMUNITY
PO BOX 106 954, AUCKLAND CITY 1143
Email: info@nzoptics.co.nz Website: www.nzoptics.co.nz
JULY 2017
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SPECSAVERS
CLINICAL
CONFERENCE6
2017
20 free ticket,
flight and
hotel packages
available now!
YOUR ANNUAL INVITATION
MELBOURNE CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE
SATURDAY 2 ND AND SUNDAY 3 RD SEPTEMBER 2017
With SCC returning to Melbourne after four years on the road in Sydney and Brisbane, we are
expecting 500 optometrists (including more than 100 non-Specsavers optometrists) at the 2017 SCC.
As with previous years, we anticipate delegates will be able to accrue 10+ CD and 2.5 General points
across the day-and-a-half of sessions.
Saturday – Clinical Education Sessions: 4 CD and 2 General Pts anticipated in 2017. Half-day
focussed session on OCT Best Practice usage and routines covering diabetes, glaucoma and
age-related maculopathy in three one-hour sessions.
Sunday – Clinical Conference & Exhibition: 6.5 CD and 0.5 General Pts anticipated in 2017.
Full-day session, a mix of seven one-hour clinical and therapeutic talks from some of Australia
and New Zealand’s most respected ophthalmologists.
The SCC Exhibition includes Contact Lens, Ophthalmic Lens and automated equipment sponsors,
Specsavers Support Team and profession-relevant exhibitors.
Non-Specsavers optometrists: to enter the prize draw for 20 free ticket / flight / accommodation
packages, contact Madeleine Curran on +61 401 100 772 or madeleine.curran@specsavers.com
When:
Where:
Detail &
Costs:
Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd
September 2017
Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre
Saturday: Clinical Education Sessions
12:00pm to 5:00pm
$200 + GST
Saturday: Welcome Event
6:45pm to 10:45pm
Event hosted gratis by the Specsavers Optometry Team
Sunday: Clinical Conference
7:30am to 6:00pm
$350 + GST
FULL DETAILS OF SPEAKERS AND TOPICS AVAILABLE AT SPECTRUM-ANZ.COM
Voted by New Zealanders
Reader’s Digest
Quality Service
Award
2017
Best Customer
Service in NZ
Optometry
2017
Millward Brown
Research
No.1 for eye tests
2016
Excellence in
Marketing
Award
2016
Retail
Store Design
Award
2016
Retail
Employer
of the Year
2015
Overall
National
Supreme Winner
2015
Franchise
Innovation
Award
2015
NZ Franchise
System of
the Year
2014
Retail
Innovator
of the Year
2014
FCA Social
Responsibility
Award
2014
2 NEW ZEALAND OPTICS July 2017

Alarming results from student
screening
Recent screenings of more than 70 tertiary
students at Massey University revealed
nearly half had undiagnosed vision
conditions. Optometrist Maile Tarsau from Visique
Eye Spy Optometrists, who carried out many of
the screenings, said the results are particularly
concerning as this is significantly higher than the
30% of low decile, primary school students who
were found to have issues in other screenings
organised by the Essilor Vision Foundation (EVF).
“We found the students had a range of conditions
including one student who didn’t realise he was
colour blind which is not uncommon as patients
who are born with the condition and have no base
for comparison can accept it as completely normal.”
One of the most noticeable differences in the
data was the heavy daily use of digital devices such
as mobile phones, which was up to 12 hours per
day and on average 6.4 hours per day, said Tarsau.
“Many of the students presented with
symptomatic complaints such as headaches,
delayed focus and eye fatigue, which can be
associated with prolonged exposure to the blue
light from device screens.”
Tarsau said she has since fitted several of the
previously undiagnosed students with new glasses
and lenses, specially-designed to help relieve the
symptoms of heavy device use. “We’ve had great
success with Eyezen lenses since their launch with
our clients enjoying more comfortable vision”.
One student, 19-year-old Megan Hislop, told
NZ Optics she spends about 17 hours a day using
different screens and was struggling to focus,
which often resulted in headaches. “It was taking
me longer to process information before and now
Malie Tarsau, Visique Eye Spy Optometrists, screening a student in North Palmerston
Dedication and generosity
honoured
Associate Professor Rob Jacobs has been
made a Member of the NZ Order of Merit
for services to optometry and education
after making a significant contribution for more
than 30 years. He was involved in revisions to
the curriculum in 1996 and was a key player
in designing a curriculum that has allowed
optometrists to expand their skills and prescribe
medicines to treat a wide range of eye conditions.
Talking to NZ Optics after learning of the honour,
A/Prof Jacobs said, “I am very appreciative of the
support that I have had from the profession of
optometry in New Zealand since I took up my
position at the University of Auckland in February
1984. I am proud of the position that optometrists
now hold as authorised prescribers and as the
‘primary care/general practitioners for eyes’ and
[with my new glasses] I don’t need to concentrate
as hard and the headaches are less frequent.”
Following a press release, the results of the
Foundation’s first tertiary student screening have
been picked up by a wide range of media, including
a high-profile slot on one of the main Kiwi Chinese
channels, highlighting the problem to other
students and tertiary education providers. EVF
trustee Kumuda Setty said she’s now had a number
of calls from other tertiary providers interested in
testing their students.
Tarsau said she believes these results certainly
am pleased that the university has been part of
that evolution.”
The award came as quite a surprise, he said, as
the development of optometric education in New
Zealand has been the work of many dedicated
people. “I feel privileged to have been nominated.”
But he doesn’t expect the award will change him.
“My goal in life has always been to help people
develop to their full potential and the rewards that
tertiary education provides on a daily basis in this
regard are enough.”
A/Prof Jacobs has also published more than 80
peer-reviewed articles, held more than 34 peerreviewed
conference proceedings and has recently
published a textbook on ocular prosthetics. He
has served as an expert witness in District Courts
and the Supreme Court on issues involving colour
warrant further vision screening testing at the
tertiary level and probably within companies,
where many more are also spending too many
hours on multiple devices.
EVF extended its screening programme to
include tertiary students for the first time in May
(see NZ Optics June issue). The charity is working
with tertiary institutions around the country and
is currently seeking further funding to expand
the programme. It is also evaluating a possible
workplace pilot screening study, though this is yet
to be confirmed. ▀
vision and
motor vehicle
driving and he
has acted as
the academic
director and
head of the
School of
Optometry
and Vision
Science at the
University Associate Professor Rob Jacobs MNZM
of Auckland.
He was made an honorary member of the New
Zealand Association of Optometrists in 2002.
In other eye-related honours, Clarice Lee
Anderson of Waipukurau was awarded the Queen’s
Working
together…
EDITORIAL
Susanne with Mark and Ian from Toomac at RANZCO NZ 2017
The waiting lists debacle has got people
talking. RANZCO NZ (p13-16), dedicated
sessions to it and the chat in the
exhibition hall harboured a spirit of evolution,
with specially-trained optometrists and nurses
and the need for more community-led funded
eye care, dominating debate. It’s great to see
this collaborative spirit in action with the
appointment of three senior optometrists to
the government’s ophthalmology advisory
group (p4) and the encouragement of more
nurse practitioners (p16). This was also NZ
Optics’ Susanne Bradley’s first RANZCO NZ
and first opportunity to meet so many of you.
She thanks all of you who took the time to
help her sort her OCTAs from her wavefront
aberrometers and retinal cameras.
As well as RANZCO NZ, we’ve got all the
news about new research, specs ranges and
conferences, and this month Chalkeyes tackles
the minefield of how short a good optometristpatient
assessment can be?
A belated Happy Helen Keller’s birthday (27
June) everyone.
Lesley Springall, publisher, NZ Optics
Service Medal (QSM) for services to the blind and
seniors.
Anderson helped establish the Central Hawke’s
Bay Support Group for the Blind in 1960, has
been involved with the Guide Dog Association
for 45 years and has organised the annual Blind
Foundation and Red Puppy collections for a
number of years in the region. She also founded
a local singing group called ‘Sing Along With Us’
that regularly entertains at rest homes and other
venues, and she leads regular social events for the
blind and partially-sighted. ▀
SHOW
silmoparis.com
BTP – CARON BOWE 027 566 7552 info@btpid.co.nz
July 2017
NEW ZEALAND OPTICS
3

News
in brief
UNLOSEABLE GLASSES?
Sydney startup, Tzukuri has launched its range of “unlosable glasses”
in Australia. Founding entrepreneur, 23-year-old Allen Liao told
the Sydney Morning Herald he had the idea when he lost a friend’s
expensive sunglasses. The Bluetooth-equipped Tzukuri frames
connect to an iOS app, which notifies the owner if they are left
behind, the frames’ last location and proximity.
WHOLEGRAINS HALT AMD
A recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of
Science on mice showed age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can
be halted by switching from a high-glycaemic (sugar, potatoes, white
rice) to a low-glycaemic (wholegrains) diet. “We hadn’t anticipated
dietary change might repair the accumulated damage in the (retinal
pigment epithelium) so effectively,” said lead author Dr Sheldon
Rowan from Tufts University, Massachusetts.
SPECSAVERS NUZZLES UP TO OPHTHALMOLOGY
Specsavers plans to install an OCT device in all 740 of its UK practices
within the next two years. The multimillion-pound British rollout
began in June. Doug Perkins, optometrist and Specsavers’ co-founder,
said the initiative was, “another major step forward in our journey
to transform eye health, putting hospital-grade equipment in the
community and helping to close the gap between optometry and
ophthalmology.” In separate news, Specsavers opened “a pioneering
ophthalmic diagnostic treatment centre” for people suffering from
age-related eye conditions, in Newport in the UK, in a bid to reduce
waiting times for assessment, diagnosis and treatment.
AMD-TREATMENT BREAKTHROUGHS
Scientists at the University of Birmingham in the UK have developed
an eye drop to treat AMD, which could spell the end to injections.
The drop uses a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) to deliver the drug
to the relevant part of the eye within minutes, said lead researcher,
biochemist Dr Felicity de Cogan.
In other news, scientists at the John Hopkins University in Baltimore
have shown an experimental gene therapy, that uses viruses to
introduce a therapeutic gene into the eye, is safe and may be effective
in preserving the vision of people with wet AMD. The virus penetrates
retinal cells and deposits a gene, which makes the cells produce a
therapeutic protein called sFLT01.
FRED HOLLOWS’ RECORD RESULTS
During 2016, the Fred Hollows
Foundation performed a recordbreaking
one million eye operations.
It also trained 78,450 surgeons,
nurses and health workers and
equipped 120 medical facilities.
The Foundation has now restored
the sight of more than two million
people in Australia, the Pacific, South and South East Asia and Africa.
WARBY PARKER RELEASES REFRACTION APP
US optometry chain and online prescription glasses retailer Warby
Parker has launched a free refraction app, ‘Prescription Check’,
enabling customers to do a quick eye test at home. The results are
then assessed by an optometrist to see if there’s any refraction
changes and a prescription issued if nothing’s changed. If there are
changes, the optometrist may recommend a more comprehensive eye
exam, said the company.
IDENTICAL TWINS, IDENTICAL VISION?
After studying 69 sets of twins (36
identical), researchers from the UK’s
Anglia Ruskin University confirmed
optical aberrations in healthy
people are caused by genetics rather
than environmental or lifestyle
factors. Published in Investigative
Ophthalmology and Visual Science, study
results showed identical twins shared
identical defects, even in twins over-50 years of age.
BLUE LIGHT CLAIMS COST BOOTS
The UK General Optical Council fined Boots Opticians £40,000
($70,300) for its “misleading” ad for Boots Protect Plus Blue (BPPB)
lenses. The optical regulator said Boots overstated claims about the
harmful effects of blue light and the benefits of its BPPB lenses.
WORLD ORTHOPTIC DAY
The International Orthoptic Association (IOA) celebrated 50 years
of promoting the orthoptic profession on this year’s annual World
Orthoptic Day on 5 June. This year’s annual photo competition to
promote the Day was themed “orthoptic science meets art” and was
won by the University of Liverpool’s Directorate of Orthoptics and
Vision Science, which took all three top prizes.
SILMO SHARES 50TH BIRTHDAY
Silmo, has invited all attendees who are turning 50 this year to
share in its 50th birthday celebrations and “blow out the candles
during their visit” to the 2017 show in Paris. This year’s show also
will feature a special “Xtrashow” celebratory exhibition, showcasing
iconic products, services or collections from participating brands and
companies, that have left their mark on history. The winning Xtraentry
will receive a SILMO d’Or award.
Optometrists named on
government group
Optometrists Geoff Sargent, Andrew Sangster and Wilson
Sue have been appointed to the government’s National
Ophthalmology Service advisory group.
The group, headed by Dr Stephen Ng (see story in June’s NZ Optics),
was established in response to the media outcry about people going
blind while they waited for ophthalmology services. It is charged with
helping district health boards (DHBs) improve their ophthalmology
services to tackle increasing backlogs across the country.
In setting up the group, the Ministry of Health said it was looking
at improvements at the DHB service level to tackle the problems,
including local and regional activities around improved capacity
and demand planning, improved referral management, consistent
Award for
‘endocellmetrics’
Nigel Brookes, technical officer at the
New Zealand National Eye Bank,
(NZNEB) has been awarded the
Velocity Innovation Challenge commercial
prize for his entry ‘endocellmetrics’.
Increasingly eye banks prepare predissected
tissues, thus It’s important to
determine corneal viability before they
are transplanted. Traditionally, measuring
corneal endothelial cell density has
done this. Cell density reduces as we
age and many cells are also lost during
transplantation. It is important that cell
density does not reach critical levels for
the endothelium to function properly and
to avoid corneal blindness, said Brookes
explaining why a better way to measure the
size and shape of corneal endothelial cells
was needed.
This thinking led him to create a new
software solution
called endocellmetrics.
“Measuring corneal
endothelial cell surface in
an organ culture is very
difficult in the eye bank as
we cannot see the apical
surface, only the basal or
paracellular parts.
“By finding the cell
centres rather than
drawing around the
cells you can identify
not just cell density but
also size and shape. This
yields similar results to
Bollé shuts NZ office
Bollé has closed its operations, finance and administration office
in Christchurch in a regional effort to streamline and consolidate
its business.
The company has reduced its three Asia-Pacific operations to two
and centralised regional services, including New Zealand, under the
stewardship of its Melbourne headquarters. Bollé sales personnel
in New Zealand will continue to service customers as usual, said the
Bolle’s B-Rock mountain bike glasses released late last year
A corneal endothelial cell software screenshot
www.nzoptics.co.nz | PO Box 106954, Auckland 1143 | New Zealand
traditional methods, however with greater
detail.”
Brookes’ method and subsequent study
of that method has been published in the
journal Cell and Tissue Banking. As part
of this, he analysed 2000 images of 700
corneas – probably the largest analysis of
the human corneal endothelium to date.
His idea is to port the information to the
cloud so it can be used, via a web browser, by
other eye banks, ophthalmologists and eye
researchers across the world.
It’s currently just an idea, he admitted,
and will be challenging to implement. “But
this award gives me the impetus to pursue
it further.”
Brookes said he welcomes anyone in the
industry who’d be interested in learning
more to come and see his software
prototype for themselves at the NZNEB. ▀
prioritisation for access and/or increasing the contribution of
optometrists and ophthalmic nurses.
Sue welcomed the group’s formation and the appointment of
the optometrists as this could signal further change in the DHBs’
acceptance of optometrists as an important community resource
that can be better used to improve the public’s eye health care.
The group’s first meeting is scheduled for July. ▀
Ed’s note: see next month’s NZ Optics for coverage of a fascinating
study by medical student Nicolas Theis looking at the Dunedin
situation and how we might better predict demand to improve
patient flow.
1st SOVS
conference
The School of Optometry and
Vision Science (SOVS) is holding
its inaugural conference at the
University of Auckland’s Grafton campus
on 22-23 July.
Themed ‘Vision for the Future’, the
conference celebrates more than 50 years
of SOVS’s commitment to educating
primary health care professionals.
Speakers will offer the latest insights
into eye research and case studies will
provide practical examples of how modern
advances in eye care can be incorporated
into everyday practice, said organisers.
“The conference will provide practising
clinicians, educators, vision scientists and
students the opportunity for hands-on
interactive workshops, as well as short
scientific presentations, Grand Round
sessions and clinical seminars.”
Workshops include clinical imaging,
electrophysiology, paediatric vision
assessment and ocular surface
assessment, with other sessions covering
myopia control, amblyopia therapy and
glaucoma. For more, visit: http://sovs2017.
org.nz/ ▀
company, though long-service New Zealand business manager Sandy
Caddy’s position was made redundant in June.
“Over the last two years our parent company, Vista Outdoor, has
made significant acquisitions including brands like Giro (helmets and
goggles), Bell (helmets), Jimmy Styks and CamelBak to add to our
growing stable of outdoor brands,” explained John Toouli, managing
director Asia Pacific. “As we continue to expand as an organisation, we
need to streamline our operations to ensure we have the best possible
processes in place to support our growing network.”
All New Zealand product deliveries will now be handled directly by
the Melbourne distribution centre. “Freight shipping has been running
seamlessly for several months prior to the New Zealand office and
warehouse closure, so we are confident we can continue to service our
customers at the highest level,” said Toouli. “We also have a dedicated
customer service representative here, solely to support our customers
during New Zealand business hours.”
Fiona Marty, marketing manager Asia Pacific, is focused on
continuing to grow the Bollé brand and local networks in New Zealand.
“Our brands and product development are entering an exciting phase
and I’m pleased to be able to work closer with the local sales team to
implement some innovative trade and consumer initiatives for the
market,” she said. ▀
For general enquiries or classifieds please email info@nzoptics.co.nz
For editorial, please contact Lesley Springall at lesley@nzoptics.co.nz or +64 27 445 3543
For all advertising/marketing enquiries, please contact Susanne Bradley at susanne@nzoptics.co.nz or +64 27 545 4357 in the first instance, or Lesley Springall at lesley@nzoptics.co.nz
To submit artwork, or to query a graphic, please email susanne@nzoptics.co.nz
NZ Optics magazine is the industry publication for New Zealand’s ophthalmic community. It is published monthly, 11 times a year, by New Zealand Optics 2015 Ltd. Copyright is held by
NZ Optics 2015 Ltd. As well as the magazine and the website, NZ Optics publishes the annual New Zealand Optical Information Guide (OIG), a comprehensive listing guide that profiles the
products and services of the industry. NZ Optics is an independent publication and has no affiliation with any organisations. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily
those of NZ Optics 2015 Ltd or the editorial team.
4 NEW ZEALAND OPTICS July 2017

www.essilor.co.nz
In front of a screen all day?
Be WORK READY with EYEZEN
lenses, the solution for a
connected life.
Ideal for:
WE ARE LIVING IN AN EXTRAORDINARILY DIGITAL AGE
After only 2 hours in front of screens, many of us start to experience digital eye strain. Digital eye strain can be described as dry eyes, tired eyes, blurred vision,
headaches and neck and back pain caused by spending too much time in front of digital devices.
Eyezen lenses are specially enhanced for your digital devices to keep you relaxed and protected all day long. The result? The screen won’t look as bright, the
contrast will be better, your vision will be sharper and you won’t experience digital eye strain symptoms as much. Now that’s something to look forward to.
DID YOU KNOW?
Campus study finds high rate of eye strain from screen use
Simon Collins
Almost half of students who had their
eyes tested at Massey University are
suffering headaches and vision problems
— mainly due to looking at
cellphones and computer screens for
up to 12 hours a day.
The study of 70 students at the
university’s Palmerston North campus
found that students were spending
an average of 6.4 hours a day
looking at mobile phones and other
digital devices.
Many, such as accountancy
student Megan Hislop, 19, said most
of their study resources were now
online, so they were both reading and
writing on
screens.
She estimates
that she spends
seven hours a
day working on
Megan Hislop her studies on
her laptop, plus
about 10 hours a day checking her
cellphone.
“When I get up I check the weather
on my cellphone, I check Facebook
and Snapchat and emails, and then
go to university and look at projector
screens,” she said.
“By about lunchtime I’m on my
phone again, then on the computer
for studying afterwards, and then the
cellphone throughout [that] process.”
She has been prescribed glasses
that have “a very slight prescription
element” but are mainly aimed at
reducing the “blue light” absorbed
from cellphones, computers and television
screens.
“My eyes took so much longer to
focus, which led to them getting dry,
and then I’d get headaches,” she said.
“Initially I was thinking ‘oh gosh it’s
going to be expensive to get glasses’,
but [with the glasses] I feel like I’m
not so strained throughout the day.”
The optometrist who did the study,
Maile Tarsau, said teenagers were
now having problems reading small
print due to the blue light emissions
from digital devices. “Younger people
these days are telling me they have
problems seeing those types of things,
when it used to be a 40- or 50-yearold
that was complaining of those
things,” she said.
Tarsau donated her time to test the
Massey students for the Essilor Vision
Foundation, a charity run by the
French-based Essilor Group, the
world’s largest manufacturer of ophthalmic
lenses.
The foundation registered as a
charity in New Zealand last year and
has done eye tests on 2800 children
in low-decile primary schools, finding
31 per cent with previously
undiagnosed vision issues.
Although the Massey students selfselected
by volunteering to have their
eyes tested, Tarsau said the finding
that 45 per cent had undiagnosed eye
problems confirmed the widespread
effects of increased use of digital
devices.
“Tired eyes, watery eyes, gritty
eyes and headaches are very, very
common,” she said.
Even major problems such as
macular degeneration and cataracts,
which used to affect people in their
60s and 70s, are now affecting
younger people.
Tarsau said her practice, Visique
in Palmerston North, offered filters to
reduce blue light for about $20.
A Nationwide survey of New Zealand optometrists found that nine in ten (87%) expressed concerns about the number of people presenting with eye damage,
some as young as five years old, as a result of heavy digital device use.
Eight in 10 (80%) of optometrists believed those patients most affected were aged between 30 and 40 and one in five (19%) said in their experience, teenagers
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were also a high risk demographic. AUS: 1300 1 SLICE NZ: 0800 1 SLICE service@slicemedia.com
Ref: 664721261
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Ref: 787542840
The most frequent symptom of excessive device use was dry eyes with almost eight in 10 (77%) of optometrist’s saying patients were presenting with this
condition frequently. Eyestrain and headaches were seen almost as often at 72% and 52% respectively.
Other common symptoms were stinging/tired or itching eyes, discomfort caused by the glare of the screen, and a progressive difficulty in staring at the device.
Talk to your Essilor Territory Manager to run your local EyeZen Consumer Campaign
July 2017
NEW ZEALAND OPTICS
5

Kiwis adopt new DO course
The Association of
Dispensing Opticians in
New Zealand (ADONZ)
is endorsing the Certificate IV
in Optical Dispensing course
provided by the Australasian
College of Optical Dispensing
(ACOD).
“This course meets the new
rigorous requirements for our
scope of practice under the
Health Care Practitioners Act
(HPCA),” said Peggy Savage,
ADONZ president. Unlike in
Australia where the profession
is deregulated, in New Zealand
the terms ‘dispensing optician’
and ‘optical dispenser’ are
protected so course content is
rigorously assessed.
“We have just begun with
our new provider, ACOD, and
are extremely happy with them. A record enrolment
cohort of 54 students from New Zealand have enrolled
in the course this year,” said Savage.
The course, which is currently being accredited by the
Optometrists and Dispensing Optician Board in New
Zealand, is flexible in structure and can be completed
in 18 to 24 months part-time. Each student must be
employed in an optical practice and have the support
of their workplace supervisor. The course is a blended
delivery, incorporating online elements, comprehensive
practical workshops, as well as 20 hours work per week
in their optical practice. As well as ADONZ, Specsavers
has also said they will now use ACOD as their preferred
training partner on both sides of the Tasman.
James Gibbins, teacher and director at ACOD says,
“The optical dispensing association in New Zealand
is active, vibrant and successful and ACOD is very
excited to be partnering with both ADONZ and
Specsavers NZ to train dispensing opticians in New
Zealand. Previously, ADONZ and Specsavers had relied
upon different colleges, with different delivery and
SPECS + FEATURES
assessment programmes, but with both now opting
for ACOD this will result in an agreed and consistent
level of training and assessment throughout New
Zealand, to the benefit of all parties.”
ERAGE Gibbins has HIGHLIGHTS
been involved with dispensing for 20 See story about the latest Kiwi DO graduates on p19.
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• Polar display
• Full 3D display
ANALYZED POINTS
1,000,000+
SHIPPING DIMENSIONS/WEIGHT
Head: 14” x 14” x 12”
(36cm x 36cm x 30cm)
15lb. (6.8kg)
Manipulator: 14” x 13.5” x 7.5”
(36cm x 34cm x 19 cm)
12lb. (5.44kg)
Chinrest: 21” x 10.5” x 3”
(53cm x 27cm x 8cm)
5lb. (2.26kg)
Base: 20” x 14” x 3”
(51cm x 36cm x 8cm)
7lb. (3.2kg)
FOOTPRINT
Width: 9.5” x 13.5” x 6”
(24cm x 34cm x 15cm)
varied width from patient to doctor
Depth: 17” (43cm)
Height: 19”-21” (48cm - 53cm)
[with head fully lowered and fully raised]
WEIGHT
Est. 11lb. (5kg) (head only)
POWER REQUIREMENTS
5V DC 3A
SUPPLIED PC
HP Envy 15” i7
8GB RAM
TOOLS
• Principle toricity display at varying diameters
• Distance measurement
• Mean sagittal height at varying diameters
• Lens and sagittal height cross-section display
• Customizable Data tips
• Customizable color scales
• Brightness and contrast adjustments
• Customizable for multiple users
• Online storage
CONTACT LENS FITTING
• Scleral Lenses
- Normal Corneas
- Irregular Corneas
• Customized Soft Lenses
• Customized Back Surfaces
HVID/VVID MEASUREMENT
Chedy Kalach and James Gibbins, ACOD directors and senior trainers
in this time, incorporating now what he calls a “wide
and cost effective application” of online learning. “We
have liaised closely with employers and the optical
dispensing boards to customise the course and cater
to specific market requirements.”
The ACOD dispensing course is currently at
Certificate IV level, added Savage. “In time we would
like to lift the level of the qualification to a diploma
level. As optometrists increase their scope of practice,
the value of dispensing opticians is ever increasing.
The future looks very positive for dispensing opticians
as the progression of technology and skills required to
accurately dispense becomes more crucial.”
Previous plans to work with the Waikato Institute of
Technology (Wintec) for a NZ Qualification Authorityregistered
course that would more closely mirror the
more stringent British courser, proved too difficult to
put together, which is why ADONZ approached ACOD.
ADONZ conference
This year the ADONZ National Conference is being
held at the Rydges Latimer hotel in Christchurch from
Friday 13 to Sunday 15 October. See future issues of
NZ Optics or the ADONZ website for more details. ▀
HIGHLIGHTS
• Fluorescence based structured light
topographer with more than 22mm range
and 360 o scleral coverage
• Under the eyelid scleral measurements
• Over 1 million measurement points with
a 10 micron precision
• Integrated software for fitting and
customizing Europa Scleral lenses with direct
ordering capabilities
• Unbeatable Price
FEATURED MAPS
• Sagittal Elevation
• Texture-mapped image elevation
• Lens Elevation
• Mean curvature
• Simulated fluorescein pattern
• Corneal and Scleral Elevation (Best-fit
sphere)
• Polar display
• Full 3D display
TOOLS
• Principle toricity display at varying diameters
• Distance measurement
• Mean sagittal height at varying diameters
• Lens and sagittal height cross-section display
• Customizable Data tips
• Customizable color scales
Launching at ODMA 2017
• Brightness and contrast adjustments
• Customizable for multiple users
• Online storage
Visit us on the Tiger Vision stand
to view this exciting new release
CONTACT LENS FITTING
• Scleral Lenses
- Normal Corneas
- Irregular Corneas
• Customized Soft Lenses
• Customized Back Surfaces
HVID/VVID MEASUREMENT
ODMA
Stand
D20-24
www.dynamiceyewear.com
www.corneal-lens.co.nz
“Breakthrough” lens
coating now in NZ
Tangible
Hydra-PEG, a
lens coating
from Silicon
Valley-based
Tangible Science,
is now available
in New Zealand
from Corneal Lens
Corporation (CLC)
in Christchurch.
The company
claims this
“breakthrough”
lens coating
improves wearing
time for patients
by improving lens
wettability and
lubricity, reducing
friction and
prolonging tear
break-up time.
“While there has been much innovation
in contact lenses over the years, many lens
wearers still complain about discomfort and
the inconvenience that comes with it,” said
the company at the new lens coating’s launch
at the Global Specialty Lens Symposium
in Las Vegas in January. “This includes red,
painful eyes, foggy vision, multiple cleanings
throughout the day to reduce deposit buildup
on the lens, repeated re-fittings and
lens returns. Eye care practitioners remain
frustrated by the lack of solutions for their
patients.”
Supporting the launch, Dr Melissa
Barnett, US Scleral Lens Education Society
president and principal optometrist at the
University of California’s Davis Eye Center,
said her patients “love” the new coating.
“It’s especially helpful for my patients with
Sjogren’s syndrome or meibomian gland
dysfunction, multifocal scleral lens patients,
or those with dry eye and a history of wetting
Dr Melissa Barnett backs the new lens coating
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to sale by or the order of a licensed practitioner.
issues. It has been an
incredible technology to
have in my practice over
this last year.”
CLC is just the 13th
lab in the world to
have this technology
installed, added CLC
director Graeme Curtis.
“Corneal Lens has again
invested in the latest
technology to ensure
the company is at the
forefront of contact
lens development. The
Hydra-PEG coating is
the new kid on the
block. It has a special
surface nano-coating,
which binds water and
repels protein – a must
for patients suffering
dry eye, wetting and
depositing issues.”
According to the company, Tangible Hydra-
PEG is a high-water polymer coating that
is permanently bonded to the surface of a
contact lens. It creates a wetting surface that
encapsulates the underlying lens material
and enables it to integrate easily into the
ocular environment without disrupting the
tear film. It can be applied to all contact
lens materials, including hydrogel, silicone
hydrogel, gas permeable, hybrid and smart
contact lenses, and is being promoted as
being particularly beneficial to patients who
experience ocular dryness or discomfort
associated with contact lens wear, moderate
or heavy depositors and scleral lens wearers
who experience fogging.
The Hydra-PEG coating is now available
on all Contamac lenses from CLC. It will be
available with other materials in the near
future. ▀
6 NEW ZEALAND OPTICS July 2017
N127121.01F
MKT6010A_GSLS_PartnerFlyer_Final3.pdf
N127121.01F
Jan MKT6010A_GSLS_PartnerFlyer_Final3.pdf
16 2017 8:28:02

BOP’s new education
evening
The first Bay of
Plenty Eye Care
Professionals’
Education Evening
was held in June.
Organiser and ortho-k
specialist Alex Petty
said the idea for the
evenings was inspired
by the long-running
Manawatu optometry
forums, organised by
Siok Khim Taylor.
“Those evenings
were always
interesting. I
frequently came
away with a new way
of thinking about a
particular condition.
They also inspired
great collegiality
amongst colleagues
in both optometry
and ophthalmology, which is so important with
all the other pressures on our industry at the
moment.”
With the swelling population in the Bay
and the increasing number of optometrists in
the area, having a local educational forum to
discuss the management of tricky cases, learn
new techniques and treatments and liaise with
colleagues in a social setting was well overdue,
he said.
The inaugural event attracted three
ophthalmologists and 20 optometrists from
as far afield as Taupo and Whakatane, who
gathered in Tauranga to listen to four structured
talks on specialty areas followed by some active
discussion on interesting case studies presented
by attendees.
Petty, a self-confessed myopia-control crusader,
kicked things off with an in-depth look at the
international myopia epidemic in children and
the different treatment options to slow its
progression. Dr Mike O’Rourke from Tauranga
Alex Petty focuses on myopia at the first BOP education evening
Eye Specialists followed with a discussion on
intraocular telescopes. Dr O’Rourke works closely
with local low vision specialist Lynley Smith from
Tauranga Eyecare (previously Langford Callard,
see story p12) to assess an individual’s suitability
for the operation. Realistic expectations are key
for patient satisfaction, he said. Beverley Stowers,
a Blind Foundation rehabilitation instructor,
provided an overview of the foundation’s
community services, stressing the importance of
collaboration between eye care professionals and
the foundation and referring patients early. Local
contact lens (CL) specialist Penny Adams, closed
the formal presentations with some interesting
cases and discussion about prosthetic CLs.
The first evening, sponsored by Device
Technologies, was a great success, said Petty. A
further two evenings have also been planned, the
next in September, sponsored by Corneal Lens
Corporation (CLC) and another four months later,
sponsored by Ophthalmic Instruments Company
(OIC). ▀
GNZ Symposium 2017
Glaucoma New
Zealand (GNZ)
will be holding
its second Glaucoma
Symposium at
Alexandra Park in Auckland on 13 August.
“The inaugural GNZ Glaucoma Symposium was
a tremendous success last year and we are even
more excited about the programme this year,” said
Professor Helen Danesh-Meyer, GNZ chair who is
overseeing the programme.
One of the key mandates of GNZ is glaucoma
education and the online GNZ Professional
Education Programme has been hugely supported
by the optometry profession. This Symposium is
an extension of GNZ’s commitment to glaucoma
education and it also signifies how important
the role of optometry is in the management of
glaucoma.
Optometrists have a pivotal role in the diagnosis
of glaucoma and care of glaucoma patients.
With therapeutic optometry, optometrists
are increasingly involved in the complete care
of glaucoma patients and are independently
prescribing glaucoma medications. The more
ophthalmology and optometry interact and
communicate, the better the outcomes for our
patients.
This symposium is a full day of optometry
education focused solely on glaucoma, consisting
Correction
In our story last month, about Corneal Lens
Corporation’s new building and renovations
– “CLC, Curtis Vision’s expanded home”, we
wrongly stated that Michael Curtis still owns
Curtis Vision, which is incorrect as he sold the
practice to Barbara Shaw in 2010, who then sold
it to Brian Denny and Chris Clark in 2014.
Chris Clark is currently managing director, ably
assisted by practice manager Shelley Endacott.
Curtis Vision now has four practices: Armagh
Street, Fendalton, New Brighton and Wigram.
BY THE TEAM FROM GNZ
of a number of short
lectures covering
clinical glaucoma
management, tricks
of the trade and
paradigm shifts in glaucoma management and,
new for 2017, a focus on interactive cases and
panel discussions. The panels will comprise both
optometrists and ophthalmologists. Challenging
cases will be presented leading to discussions
regarding shared-care, diagnosis and treatment
strategy, in what should be an exciting and
thought-provoking day!
The conference has the support of glaucoma
specialists from around the country and will
include speakers from both optometry and
ophthalmology, including Professors Charles
McGhee and Helen Danesh-Meyer, Associate
Professor Gordon Sanderson, Drs Sonya Bennett,
Alex Buller, Shenton Chew, Sam Kain, Hannah
Kersten, Jay Meyer, Hussain Patel, Graham Reeves,
Jim Stewart and Kristine Jensen. Our keynote
speaker is Professor Steven Dakin, head of the
School of Optometry and Vision Science.
Prof Danesh-Meyer says she hopes the 2017 GNZ
Glaucoma Symposium will provide both depth and
breadth in glaucoma care. GNZ is looking to apply
for six clinical diagnostic CPD points for this one
day event. To register visit www.glaucoma.org.nz/
symposium_form.asp ▀
The new Wigram building is owned by a
separate company belonging to CLC director
Graeme Curtis. It was Graeme Curtis’ idea for the
new build and to include an optometrist on the
premises, rather than a combined decision as
stated in the article. When Denny and Clark took
over Curtis Vision they decided to take up the
opportunity offered to them by CLC and move to
the new building in Wigram. Curtis Vision lease
the downstairs offices and CLC’s office team are
based upstairs. ▀
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July 2017
NEW ZEALAND OPTICS
7

OTC strikes again
Just some of the speakers at this year’s conference: Drs Trevor Gray, Ilva Rupenthal, Mohammed Ziaei, Rachael Niederer and Narme
Deva, Samantha Simkin, Olga Bochner and Drs Hannah Kersten and Jie Zhang with Professor Charles McGhee
Peter O’Hagan. Frank Snell and Heather O’Hagan
Sandy Ng, Jade Chen and Andy Ho
BY ELLA EWENS*
The second annual ocular therapeutics
conference was held at Waipuna
hotel and conference centre in
Mount Wellington, Auckland on Sunday 21
May. A fantastic turnout of optometrists,
ophthalmologists, trainee ophthalmologists
and pharmacists from across New Zealand
enjoyed a series of lively lectures on a wide
array of ocular therapeutics topics. Delegates’
interest was maintained with the popular
15-minute lecture format returning this year.
Return of the red eye
Professor Charles McGhee opened proceedings
and chaired the morning session, introducing
a range of talks on topics from inflammatory
eye disease to the application of telemedicine.
Dr Narme Deva gave a very practical
summary of the use of drugs for the treatment
of acute uveitis. You could be forgiven for
thinking she was giving advice to rugby
players, not optometrists as she summarised:
“have courage, hit hard, hit fast and don’t
taper too soon.”
Olga Brochner, an ophthalmic nurse,
provided some interesting insight into treating
neovascular age-related macular degeneration
(AMD), while Dr Mohammed Ziaei delivered a
fascinating, video-heavy presentation about
surgical therapeutics – quite a lot of corneal
gore so close to breakfast!
15 minutes of fame
After some much-needed coffee, Dr Rasha
Altaie introduced the next few speakers.
Clinical nurse specialist Olga Brochner discussing AMD
treatments
Dr Simon Dean took an interesting peak at
nutritional therapies and alternative therapies
including Teatree oil and its application
in blepharitis; Dr Andrew Thompson, a
pharmacist-turned-ophthalmologist, provided
his unique insight into the off-label use of
pharmacologic agents in ophthalmology; and
Dr Trevor Gray offered some very practical
advice on the safe prescribing of oral drugs for
optometrists, including contraindications for
the use of oral antibiotics and anti-virals.
Other highlights included Dr Zie Zhang’s
presentation on cells as therapeutics. She
outlined several applications for the use of
stem cells including chemical injury, Stargaats
disease and AMD.
During the breaks, there was a buoyant
atmosphere in the air as delegates caught
up with old colleagues, drank coffee in the
autumn sun and watched the sailing boats on
Panmure basin.
Glaucoma breakthroughs
Alex Petty, DFV’s Ralph Thompson and David Haydon
After lunch, Dr Gray chaired a session on
glaucoma. Optometrist Dr Hannah Kersten
looked at glaucoma collaborative care and
the advanced training that optometrists can
now undertake. Dr Ainsley Morris used a
very entertaining dam analogy to describe
glaucoma treatment and looked at side effects
from several commonly used glaucoma drugs,
while Professor Charles McGhee discussed the
application of Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitors in
glaucoma and corneal disease. ROCK inhibitors
use four to five mechanisms to reduce
intraocular pressure, however they are not
commercially available yet.
Dr Ilva Rupenthal, director of the Buchanan
Ocular Therapeutics Unit at the University of
Auckland, which runs the conference, continued
the glaucoma treatment theme, outlining some
exciting new drugs in the approval pipeline
for glaucoma and new drug-delivery methods.
The aims of the new delivery methods were
to overcome patient non-compliance and
preservative toxicity, and they including new
drug-loaded punctual plugs, a silicon ring, a
biodegradable pellet and a titanium implant.
New drugs and tips
The final session of the day was chaired by
Dr Rupenthal and included Associate Professor
Jennifer Craig’s insights into dry eye treatment
– A/Prof Craig is vice-chair of the recently
concluded DEWSII (the second international
dry eye workshop). New dry eye treatments
include drugs Restasis and Xiidra, and a
fascinating new contraption that tickles the
inside of your nose to produce more tears in
patients with aqueous deficiency.
Dr Jay Meyer provided some practical tips
on which topical antibiotic to use where and
when, while Dr Altaie concluded the day by
explaining the characteristics of keratoconus in
children and why it’s such a different condition
in children compared with adults. She stressed
the importance of timing in corneal crosslinking
treatment and provided some useful
guidelines on when to refer patients.
In conclusion…
After each lecture session, the session chair
led an interactive and engaging question and
answer session with the audience, which was
also highly informative as the audience shared
some of its own experiences.
Overall, this year’s conference, drew an
audience of almost 200 different practitioners
from across New Zealand who appreciated
the broad range of topics and clear take home
messages, with many practitioners saying
they had picked up important key points that
would change the way they practice.
The next ocular therapeutics conference
will be held at Waipuna hotel and conference
centre on 11 March 2018.
*Ella Ewens is a New Zealand-trained, therapeuticallyqualified
optometrist who has worked in New Zealand
and overseas in a number of different roles within the eye
industry.
Raewyn Hart, Leith O’Connor and Cecilia Turnbull Catherine van Paassenn and Supreme Health’s Celeste Peh Nafisa Slaimankhel and Erin Tan
CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
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8 NEW ZEALAND OPTICS July 2017

Hana Namik, Eva Astuti, Khyati Garg, Persephone Cheng and John Boyle
Sandhya Mathew, Hayley Sowry, Joy Hoshek and Simon Little
Donning the livery
BY DONALD CRICHTON*
On a recent trip back to the UK, I attended a ceremony
where I and four others were clothed in the Livery of the
Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers (WCSM).
On completion of my qualification as a dispensing optician (FBDO)
in the early 1990’s in the UK, I was encouraged to become a Freeman
of the WCSM by Professor Mo Jalie who had been my ophthalmic
lens lecturer and principle of City and East London College. The
following year I was granted Freedom of the City of London. These
are the two pre-requisites to becoming a Liveryman.
Situated within Apothecaries Hall, Black Friars Lane, in the shadow
of St Paul’s Cathedral, the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers
Dinner at the WCSM
is the oldest optical body still in
existence, having been founded
by Royal Charter in 1629.
It remains one of the largest
Livery Companies in the City
of London providing education
for its members and funding
and support for both charities
and academic research. The
Company’s membership includes
ophthalmologists, optometrists,
orthoptists, optical nurses,
Donald Crichton in full livery
dispensing opticians, optical
technicians and assistants and other allied professionals.
The ceremony itself is carried out behind closed doors in front of
the master, wardens and assistants of the court as it has been for the
last four centuries. A drinks reception was followed by lunch for 120
members and guests in the grand hall.
I had a truly memorable day, which I was able to share with my
brother, Alistair, and where I was joined by Association of British
Dispensing Opticans (ABDO) colleagues and fellow Liverymen Sir
Anthony Garrett CBE, ABDO general secretary; Fiona Anderson,
ABDO and International Opticians Association (IOA) president;
Elaine Grisdale, head of professional services and international
development, and well known now to many Kiwi Dos; and WCSM
past-master Professor Mo Jalie. ▀
*Donald Crichton is a fellow of the British Dispensing Opticians (FBDO), vice president of
the Associating of Dispensing Opticians NZ, a sales consultant with Hoya Lens NZ and
now a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers
Louise Edwards, Jessica McDowell, Julia Walker and Jenna Edwards
Ocular Therapeutics Conference sponsors
Gold sponsors
• Corneal Lens Corporation
• Ophthalmic Instrument
Company
• Novartis
Bronze sponsors
• Device Technologies
• Bausch + Lomb
• Designs for Vision
• Supreme Health
NZAO’s 2017
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conference will be held at the Novotel Tainui, overlooking
the Waikato River in the heart of Hamiliton, from Friday 13 to
Sunday 15 October.
Keynote speakers include: Michael Yapp, head of clinical
services at the Centre for Eye Health in New South Wales, who
has a special interest in ocular imaging and glaucoma; and
Associate Professor Sharon Bentley, director of clinical services
at the Australian College of Optometry, who’s current interests
include the impact of low vision on functional performance and
quality of life, vision and driving, the development of patient
reported outcomes for use in clinical trials,
the evaluation of eye care services and public
health optometry, and optometry education.
“Join us for a weekend of quality CPD while
simultaneously catching up with colleagues
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July 2017
NEW ZEALAND OPTICS
9

SPECIALITY CL FORUM BY ALEX PETTY*
ORTHO-K: TACKLING THE EPIDEMIC
97%, drastically reducing the instance of myopiaassociated
ocular disease. The majority of these
studies use ‘standard’ ortho-k lenses intended for
adults, with clear vision being the main design
consideration. Clear vision means a wide treatment
zone with minimal aberrations present in the
optical system. However, it’s the aberration that
is created by ortho-k lenses that we believe is
responsible for the slowing of eye growth.
IMAGE COURTESY OF VISIQUE ROSE OPTOMETRISTS
At the tender age of nine I developed a
blinding eye disease. This bombshell
was dropped on my world at my first eye
examination in 1996. My optometrist at the time
was quick to point out that my symptoms could be
treated, but they would most likely worsen as I got
older. “Surely something can be done?!” pleaded my
concerned parents. A solemn shake of the head was
the only answer we received.
As a child, living with my eye disease was a daily
challenge. My symptoms were present as soon as
I woke up and would only abate when the next
night’s sleep begun. The treatments I was provided
with helped me significantly, but they were far
from ideal. Worst of all, most of the other kids in
my class had ‘normal’ eyes. I’m sure they teased me
mercilessly when I wasn’t looking.
As the years went by my disease rapidly
progressed and the treatments required became
stronger and stronger. Finally, at the end of my
teenage years, there was a blurry light at the end of
the tunnel. My disease had slowed and somehow,
it’s relentless march had faltered!
My gusto was short-lived. One morning, during
Auckland Anniversary weekend, my disease awoke
from its dormancy with a vengeance. I consider
myself very fortunate that at the time I was halfway
through my optometry studies, so when the subtle
new symptoms of my disease became apparent,
I knew something serious was going on. I rushed
myself to hospital and underwent an urgent eye
operation that night. The surgeon did a superb job,
but recovery was slow and painful. That wasn’t the
end of it either. Over the next five years I needed
another two more sight-saving operations when my
disease reared its ugly head again.
Fortunately, nowadays I can still see to work and
drive a car but there are no guarantees; my blinding
eye disease will be with me for the rest of my life.
My name is Alex Petty and I have myopia.
A picture of my eye following one of my three sight-saving operations.
Looks pleasant huh!
Many optometrists still don’t consider myopia
a disease, merely an inconvenient refractive
error. Admittedly my personal case of progressive
axial length growth and resultant bilateral
rhegmatogenous retinal detachment is an extreme
example, but worldwide we are likely to be dealing
with similar instances more and more.
Currently 23% of the earth’s population are
short-sighted and this percentage is increasing
due a complex range of factors related to genetics,
lifestyle and environmental influences. Professor
Brien Holden is one who recognised that the
myopia epidemic is likely to be the big issue facing
eye care professionals in the future. His research
group predicts that by 2050 approximately half
the world will be myopic, a fifth being in the
high-myopia category. These individuals with
long eyeballs are the ones at much greater risk of
glaucoma, cataract, retinal detachment and myopic
maculopathy during their lifetime.
Scarily Ian Flitcroft’s research shows there is no
‘safe’ level of myopia: even low myopes have an
increased risk of ocular disease. When you consider
the social, economic and personal sequelae of the
myopia epidemic it is understandable that people
are embracing prevention, rather than just dealing
with the symptoms and ocular effects as they
eventuate.
The increased risk of various ocular conditions with higher levels of
myopia (courtesy of OSO)
Fortunately, unlike when I was a young myope,
we now have a much better understanding of what
can be done to slow axial eye growth. Contact lens
practitioners have been at the forefront of myopia
control for some time now as, along with atropine
drops, orthokeratology and soft multifocal contact
lenses have been the main treatments that have
proven efficacy at slowing myopia progression in
the literature.
At the CCLS New Zealand conference earlier this
year (see May’s NZ Optics), I gave a presentation
about the myopia control options that are available
for general practices without a topographer (NB: if
anyone would like a copy of this presentation please
let me know). However, in my specialty practice the
majority of young progressing myopes elect to use
orthokeratology lenses to slow their eye growth. I
recommend ortho-k to patients and their families
for two reasons:
1. Young patients love ortho-k. From a purely
lifestyle perspective ortho-k has a compelling
argument: kids can see clearly throughout the day,
there is no risk of their specs or soft contact lenses
getting damaged/dirty/scratched/irritable during
the day, they can swim and play with no restrictions
from their optical correction, all the handling/
cleaning/insertion/removal is done at home in a
controlled space with parental supervision and, in
my experience, ortho-k lenses are a safe contact
lens modality for children.
2. Ortho-k lenses have a tremendous ability to
control axial elongation, especially if fitted as a
customised-myopia control application for children,
rather than a conventional ‘adult’ ortho-k lens
design.
Let me elaborate on this last point. In the
literature, the average myopia control effect is
around 50% with ortho-k. As an aside, Fabian
Conrad’s mathematical model showed that slowing
myopia by only 50% in all myopes will reduce
the incidence of myopia over 5D by a whopping
A comparison of orthoK lens designs. Left: An ‘adult’ ortho-k lens (BE,
Capricornia, AUS). BOZD >6mm, e=0. Right: A customised lens for
myopia control (Eyespace Forge design, CLC, NZ) BOZD 5.5mm, e=0.99
Normal spectacles and spherical contact lenses
focus light accurately at the fovea but tend to
exhibit hyperopic defocus in the peripheral retina,
somehow signalling the eye to elongate. Because
ortho-k lenses induce a central corneal flattening
and para-central corneal steepening, peripheral
light rays are instead focused at or in-front of
the retina, resulting in decreased stimuli for
axial elongation. It follows, therefore, that if the
paracentral area of ortho-k steepening is enlarged
or enhanced then a better myopia control effect can
be achieved. This is due to a larger area of peripheral
retina receiving a stronger ‘stop growing’ signal.
When fitting an adult with ortho-k we want
to minimise this paracentral steepening as it
negatively affects vision due to spherical aberration
and increased halos and glare at night when the
pupil enlarges. Normal orthokeratology lenses tend
to have a large spherical back-optic zone radius of
6mm or greater to facilitate this.
In the case of a rapidly progressing myopic
10-year-old this aberration is what we can use
to prevent further eye growth. It’s also useful to
remember that these patients tolerate aberration
in their vision very well; they are not driving at
night and are typically just pleased they can see
their friends at the other end of the playground!
Lately most ortho-k experts around the world
are using customised myopia control ortho-k
lenses with the primary design consideration being
to maximise the plus power of the peripheral
pupillary zone. This typically involves smaller back
optic zone diameters of 5-5.5mm (or smaller if
the child has a small pupil) with aspheric basecurves.
These lenses create a highly aspheric,
small diameter treatment zone with a steeper
paracentral ring. Amazingly vision is still great with
these lens designs, in a similar way that centredistance
multifocal soft contact lenses are well
tolerated by adults.
Many of these practitioners describe excellent
myopia control effects from these specialised
designs with complete halting of axial eye growth
in many cases. Still, clinical anecdote is not a very
powerful proof of effect. But studies are starting
to emerge revealing a higher myopia control effect
with special myopia control ortho-k designs. A
poster presented by Dr Eddie Chow from Canada
analysed five-year axial length data from two
groups: one using a traditional ortho-k design
and the other group wearing a customised lens
with a smaller aspheric BOZ. The axial eye growth
was markedly less in the custom lens group
compared to the standard lens, especially so for
the low myopes (traditional ortho-k lens designs
can be difficult to slow myopia progression for
low corrections, due to the limited paracentral
steepening created for small amounts of myopia).
A retrospective study from the University of
Auckland’s orthokeratology patients (Turnbull
The effect of orthokeratology lenses on peripheral lights rays.
Focusing light at or in-front of the retina is believed to be protective
against myopia progression.
The tangential difference map of a myopia control ortho-k lens design
for a -3.75D young myope. Note the small, highly aspheric treatment
zone and the position of the paracentral ring of steepening within the
pupil zone
2016), some of which were using a customised
Falco myopia-control lens design from Switzerland,
showed an average 92% slowing of eye growth,
much less than the ~50% myopia control effect of
ortho-k commonly quoted.
Our world is changing and as our children’s lives
become more and more screen-centric I predict
that in New Zealand myopia is not going to remain
the exception to the rule; it will affect many more
kids than just the bookworms and the genetically
unfortunate. As eye professionals, we need to
recognise myopia as the disease it is. Fortunately,
with proactive management it doesn’t need to rule
our patients’ lives like it used to. I challenge you
to stop offering single vision spectacles/contact
lenses to your young myopes and instead embrace
atropine, multifocal soft lenses or the elegance of
orthokeratology. Your patients will thank you later.
Tune in next time to the Specialty Contact Lens
Forum as we look at fitting dead people’s corneae
with small bits of computer-designed plastic! ▀
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
*Alex Petty is a New Zealand
optometrist based in
Tauranga with a particular
interest and knowledge in
speciality contact lenses,
ortho-k and myopia control.
This test could save your sight
0800 622 852 mdnz.org.nz
New GM for Southern Eye
Southern Eye Specialists has appointed Shayne Te Aika
as general manager to bring “a fresh and focused set
of eyes (no pun intended) into the business”, it said.
Te Aika was selected from a strong field of candidates,
said ophthalmologist and director Dr Sean Every. “Shayne
won the directors over with his common sense, practical
approach and, when combined with his focus on team
and organisational effort, we felt a strong alignment to
our desired business outlook.”
Though new to the health sector, Te Aika has held a
number of management and leadership roles in the
New Zealand Defence Force and in a Christchurch legal
practice. He is also a current member of the University of
Canterbury Council.
“The attraction to this role, was simply about the
challenge and opportunity to assist the directors and
staff to grow their business and profile,” he said. “I have
been fortunate to learn alongside some really talented
people and teams.
Fundamental elements
to my management and
leadership philosophies
are looking after people,
providing them with
the right resources and
direction, and giving
them the space to lead
their own success.”
With both of his
children having now
departed the family
home, Te Aika says in his
Shayne Te Aika
spare time, he enjoys
spending more time with
his wife Karyn travelling or tending “their one acre of
paradise” in Selwyn. ▀
10 NEW ZEALAND OPTICS July 2017

Zeiss unveils new R&D HQ
Zeiss has unveiled plans to move to its regional headquarters to a
new, A$6 million ($6.27m) purpose-built, state-of-the-art office
and research and development (R&D) facility within the Tonsley
Innovation Precinct in South Australia.
Unveiling the 3,950m² site and the company’s plans in a joint
press conference with South Australian manufacturing and
innovation minister, Kyam Maher, Zeiss ANZ managing director Hilke
Fitzsimons said with more than 165 years of innovation behind
it, Zeiss is committed to supporting the Australian, New Zealand
and international markets with solutions for vision care, medical
technology, microscopy and measurement systems, and this new
facility will be key to that.
“Our new facility at Tonsley will provide a more centrally-located,
state-of-the art environment for our staff and customers. It will
also provide the space to grow staff numbers and the opportunity
to collaborate with other like-minded businesses and research and
education institutions at Tonsley.”
Over the next year, Zeiss will also be strengthening its presence
directly in New Zealand, said Fitzsimons, including significant
technology upgrades within the company’s Auckland Vision Care
laboratory. “We will also strengthen our local Zeiss team and increase
our local presence in New Zealand.”
In Australia, Zeiss will bring 120 permanent staff to Tonsley when
it relocates from its current location in Lonsdale after construction
is completed in early 2018. The new facility will combine a sales and
service centre for the Australasian market, a prescription laboratory,
a global R&D team for vision care and a global business solutions
team delivering digital and knowledge-based services across the
world, said Fitzsimons.
“Zeiss runs a global US$130 million ($180m) strategic business unit
from South Australia,” said Karen Roberts, Zeiss’ vice president, global
business solutions. “Globalisation and digitalisation are changing
customer requirements and markets rapidly. We are accelerating
innovation that delivers current and future value for our customers
and our company.”
The company will join other Tonsley anchor tenants, Siemens, Sage
Automation, Flinders University and training organisation TAFE SA.
The site is now home to more than 112 businesses and 1000 workers,
and a number of other businesses are now expressing interesting in
moving into the technology park, said Maher.
The Zeiss Group was founded in Germany more than 170 years
ago. Today it is a leading
developer, producer and
distributor of measuring
technology, microscopes,
medical technology, eyeglass
lenses, camera and cine lenses,
binoculars and semiconductor
manufacturing equipment. It is
now represented in more than
40 countries, has more than
30 manufacturing sites and 25
R&D facilities, which will include
Tonsley, when it opens. ▀
Zeiss’ Hilke Fitzsimons and Karen Roberts at the
site of Zeiss’ new ANZ HQ
Safarro, now
in NZ
Handmade
Italian
designer
frames brand Safarro
is now available in
New Zealand through
Trish Orr and her
team at BTP Designz
International.
Orr says she came
across Safarro in
New York at Vision
Expo East earlier
this year and was so
impressed with the
brand and the people
behind the brand,
she approached
Safarro, designed and made in Italy
them about BTP
representing them in New Zealand.
“BTP is very well known for the point of difference in their ranges.
We are always looking for those ranges with the X factor. With
Safarro, there is no cross over with our other brands and it gives us
funky, different and wear-ability all in one.”
Safarro has ranges for both men and women, all in a number of
different finishes and colour combinations. Orr says BTP’s new sales
representative, dispensing optician Caron Bowe (see story p19) has
just started showing the new range to great response.
Based in Rome, the company says it wants to offer customers
an authentic ‘Made in Italy’ experience with an attractive value
proposition. “The philosophy of the brand stems from the influence
of Italian elegance, quality and craftsman ship. Safarro means ‘a
journey’ and the notion that it embodies is one of a cosmopolitan
style broadening around the globe…. (The) focus on design, choice of
materials, colour trends and attention to fine details are considered
through to the packaging. The result is eyewear of character, intended
to create an emotional journey that leaves a distinctive mark.”
Each pair of Safarro frames are hand-crafted and come with a soft
case, resembling a passport holder, entwined with a moleskin string.
The cleaning
cloth is decorated
with a compass
to symbol
“discovery.”
See ad p3. ▀
Safarro
INTRODUCING
Daily Wear Soft Lens for Irregular Corneas
Everything you’ve come to expect from ROSE K, in a soft lens:
• Simple, proven 5-step fitting method common to all ROSE K designs
• Aspheric back optic zone, front surface toricity and front surface aberration
control for optimal visual acuity
• Precise edge lift control, prism ballast stabilization and reverse geometry for
a trouble-free fit
PO Box 2344 • Christchurch 8013
Email: graeme@corneal-lens.co.nz
Ph: 0800954536
©2017 ROSE K IS A TRADEMARK OF MENICON CO, LTD. US-RK426-NZO5 06/2017
July 2017
NEW ZEALAND OPTICS
11

Focus
on Business
Are you ready for
retirement?
Let’s start with some questions…
1. What do I want? Answer: ‘To
maintain my current standard of living
my whole life and be confident that’s on
track’
2. How much do I need? Answer: ‘I have
no idea’
3. What’s my plan to get that much?
Answer: ‘Does hope qualify here? It
would help if family stopped being so
expensive…’
4. How reliant am I on making a big
payday with my practice to achieve it?
Answer: ‘Very reliant!’
If those answers resemble yours
then you are in good company. Most
of your colleagues are in that place. In
my experience, it’s only those that have
developed a niggling internal panic that
have done much about these issues. If
you have that niggly feeling, but have
done nothing, then here’s the way
forward….
The issues
Most business people believe that
“my business is my retirement” and
practice owners be they optometrists or
opticians are no different. That’s their
“Plan A”. After all, you’ve spent years
building a client base and have invested
a great deal of time and energy building
your brand and practice’s reputation. So
naturally, you fondly imagine selling this
for a considerable sum that will fund
your transition into retirement.
Unfortunately, the reality is
increasingly very different. In our
experience working with professionals,
there are considerable risks with this
approach:
• You are your practice. Your clients
have chosen you for personal service.
The “intellectual property” is with
you, the practitioner, and potential
purchasers may see clients simply leave
when you do.
• Reducing pool of potential
purchasers. Sale to younger staff is
a common idea, yet demographic
changes are seeing lessening interest
from younger generations in purchasing
a practice. Many would prefer to
start their own. In addition, younger
purchasers may already be saddled with
significant mortgage debts, reducing
the ability to finance a purchase.
• The lack of liquidity means any
sale can take a long time. It’s therefore
heavily dependent on timing.
• The impact of adverse events may
significantly reduce the business value,
such as your disability, departure of key
staff or market conditions. If you must
sell, a forced sale almost invariably
achieves a much lower sale price.
Are you unique? Sadly, no. In my
experience these common themes arise
time and again. Fortunately, that also
means there are common lessons and
a sound approach has been developing;
we call it “financial resilience”.
Financial resilience – “Plan B”
Financial resilience simply means
having a plan and strategy that will
cope with events and maximise your
chances of achieving your goals, such
as financial independence and being
able to choose when to reduce or
cease working. The heart of your Plan
B is very simple: create an alternate
source of wealth by setting aside funds
that are separate to you and your
practice. Extracting value along the
way significantly reduces the risks of
BY PETER LEE*
relying on your practice as your primary
and possibly only source of long-term
funding. In effect, you treat yourself
as if you were an employee, reliant on
your savings and other means to build
a pool of funds. Thus, your financial
independence plan should have three
components:
1. Your own practice – with your
reliance on it reducing over time.
Crucially, the time to start succession
planning is now.
2. KiwiSaver. Surprisingly, most
self-employed professionals are not
KiwiSaver members, yet anyone can join
and take advantage of its benefits.
3. Non-locked-in investments, both
lump-sum and accumulating, in highly
liquid assets to provide flexibility and
hence financial resilience.
Having three legs, not just one,
will make you much more financially
resilient. A great Plan B should also
include:
• Your succession plan, clarifying
what you want to do with your
business. Timeframes? Options? Sale of
business to staff, sale to another optical
practice, franchising, gifting to family?
• What financial independence
means to you – the key factors such as
when you would like to be independent
and the lifestyle you would like to enjoy.
• A plan to get those aims – including
the right mix of KiwiSaver and nonlocked
in investment funds and
milestones to keep you on track to
maximise the likelihood you will achieve
your goals.
• A long-term, evidence-based,
diversified and low-cost approach to
investment – not a short-term ‘chasing
profits’ approach.
• An overview of the key risks
and how to manage them, such as
disablement or death
To achieve all this, the help and
guidance of a great financial planning
professional can be invaluable. They
will work with you, keep you on track
and help you maximise the likelihood
of achieving your goals. But not all are
created equal – the majority of financial
advisers are conflicted, working for
or aligned to product providers. In
addition, many don’t follow longterm
evidence-based planning,
claiming instead to be able to ‘pick
winners’. It’s important to ‘interview’ a
potential adviser and, where possible,
seek recommendations. Look for
independence, a fee-based and an
evidence-based approach and longterm
relationship ‘fit’ with you. ▀
Editors note: For more about
succession planning and retirement
and to hear from some New Zealanders
who’ve been through it, see next
month’s NZ Optics
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
*Peter Lee is
founder and
principal of
C2C Partners, a
boutique wealth
management,
financial
planning and
employee
benefits practice.
He is a former
chief executive
of the Institute
of Financial Advisers (IFA) and has over 30
years’ experience across funds management,
insurance and financial planning.
All change at Langford
Callard
After more than 50
years at the same
address, in the
iconic Farmers’ building in
Tauranga’s central business
district (CBD), Langford
Callard Optometrists has
moved and is changing its
name to Tauranga Eyecare by
Langford Callard.
Partner Mike Callard says
he had mixed emotions
about the move, as it was
a considerable change, but
he’s now feeling very positive
about the future and loves
the new look store, based
just outside the city at 394
Cameron Road, Tauranga.
The company had been
planning to revamp its old
practice, but held off because
it learned it’s landlord, the Farmers Trading Company, was
planning to demolish the Farmers’ building to rebuild a
bigger and better centre, possibly incorporating apartments,
over the next five years.
“Change is always positive really, and we’d been feeling a
little bit tired and needed to revamp the internal side. The
issue we had was finding somewhere we thought would
work,” says Callard.
It took about a year to find a suitable new site for the
practice, something that was the right size to accommodate
three consultation rooms and outside the CBD to make
parking easy, but not so far as to put off any potential
customers who might want to combine their trip to the
optometrist with a bit of shopping. “We actually asked
customers what was important to them, ‘location or
parking?’ and they all said ‘parking’… with many saying the
main reason they came into Tauranga to see us was to have
their eyes tested, not do any retail shopping. So that was
when we decided we didn’t really need to stay in the CBD.”
After they found the site, Callard and his team bounced design
ideas off Practice by Design’s Elaine Silk and their bespoke
cabinet makers, both of whom provided some invaluable
advice, he says. The re-fit took about four months, with the
company moving in on schedule on Queen’s Birthday weekend.
The best thing about the new design is the flow, says Callard.
“Over the last 50 years there had been a few changes made
Tauranga Eyecare’s Celia Mason, Mike Callard, Lynley Smith and Julia Walker
at the old practice, walls removed and so on, but it was a long
thin practice that goes up levels because that’s the way the
Farmers’ building was built, and that had been an issue over
the years with some folk’s mobility. We started with a flat base
this time, which is fabulous. All the staff are really looking
forward to not telling people to mind the slopes!”
Another big change with the new practice is the
incorporation of technology, adds Callard. “Lighting is a big
thing…with LED lighting in the cabinets and throughout
the practice. It’s really nice and sharp. And all the staff have
wireless tablets now, so they can walk around with a tablet
rather than being based at fixed work stations.”
Along with the change of name, which brings the
original practice into line with the company’s second store,
Omokoroa Eyecare by Langford Callard, Callard says the team
is also keen to add a couple of new frame ranges to current
stock to offer something different to both new and current
customers to go with the new look. “We’re just focused on
growth now,” he laughs.
A look back…
Tauranga Eyecare’s roots stem back to optometrist Freda
Meadows who opened a practice in Tauranga in 1938.
This was bought by Harold Taylor at the end of WWII, who
was responsible for relocating it to the Farmers’ building
in 1965. Tim and Jane Langford purchased the practice in
1977 after Taylor retired and both still work for the
practice today. Optometrist Mike Callard joined
the practice in 1993 and became an equal partner
in 1996. Another optometrist staff member, Celia
Cutfield, purchasing the Langford’s shares in 2014.
Now co-owners, Cutfield and Callard added a low
vision specialist clinic to the business, opened the
Omokoroa Eyecare branch in 2014 and renamed the
main business Tauranga Eyecare in June 2017. ▀
OCTA Research at Auckland Uni
Dr Ehsan Vaghefi and colleagues,
Drs David Squirrel, Hannah
Kersten and Catherine Morgan
are embarking on a new two-year
research project at the University
of Auckland on Ocular Coherence
Tomography Angiography (OCTA).
OCTA is a novel technology capable
of structural and functional retinal
imaging. The OCTA functional blood
flow signal is based on inverse noise
reduction ie. moving particles (blood
cells) are detected in a field of view
(the retinal arteries). Compared to
fluorescein angiography, OCTA is
non-invasive, quick to perform, three
dimensional and produces high
Dr Ehsan Vaghefi
resolution images. Currently, OCTA
can generate volumetric blood flow datasets in seconds,
but only a snapshot of retinal blood flow can be obtained.
It cannot image potential leakages of the chorioretinal
vasculature, may miss areas of slow blood flow and
importantly it cannot quantify blood
flow, explained Dr Vaghefi. “This research
aims to minimise OCTA’s disadvantages
while retaining its advantages.”
The researchers plan is to quantify
OCTA by carrying out MRI and OCT
on 100 patients over 40 years of age,
providing a normative database. “We
are in the early stages, but things are
progressing well,” Dr Vaghefi told NZ
Optics. “By analysing the quantitative
OCTA dataset, structural and functional
‘biomarkers’ of onset and progression
of several pathologies of the retina can
be obtained.” This research will likely
have many useful applications in retinal
disease and will also allow the study of
the effects of treatment, he added.
Dr Vaghefi, who is a senior lecturer at the School of
Optometry and Vision Sciences (SOVS), will be showcasing
OCTA at a clinical imaging workshop at the inaugural SOVS
Conference on 22-23 July (see p4). ▀
12 NEW ZEALAND OPTICS July 2017

SPECIAL FEATURE: RANZCO NZ
From the chair
BY DR BRIAN KENT-SMITH, RANZCO NZ EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN
We in Northland were proud to host
the annual branch meeting for the
first time, and what better venue
than Waitangi, the birthplace of our nation.
I would like to thank my co-convenors Stuart
Carroll and Graham Wilson for their help in
planning the meeting. Special thanks also
go to Charles McGhee who planned and
coordinated the scientific programme.
Worrying about the weather is of course
futile, but I will admit to losing a bit of sleep
as Cyclone Donna bore down on us in the
days before the meeting. Thankfully the
storm petered out, but not before giving
our international guests a rather bumpy
ferry ride across to dinner at the Duke of
Marlborough in Russell. In true laconic Kiwi
manner, the skipper reassured us that in the
event of a capsize we would wash ashore in
half an hour!
We were most fortunate to have four
highly regarded international speakers in
Ken Nischal, Marian Macsai, Tim Sullivan
and Tien Wong. As much as I enjoy hearing
RANZCO NZ’s tigers and traps
BY DR AARON WONG*
Waitangi is synonymous with important
meetings. Hence, 177 years on from
its first important meeting it was
appropriate that Waitangi played host for the first
time ever to the RANZCO NZ branch meeting.
Waitangi in te reo Maori translates to
‘weeping waters’, although the theme could
have been ‘watery eyes’ in this instance, though
most delegates were thankful for the array
of subspecialty topics on offer in this year’s
programme. Delegates were welcomed not only by
torrential rain (the weeping waters perhaps?), but
also a warm Powhiri.
Dispelling current thinking
The first keynote speaker, Professor Ken Nischal,
director of paediatric ophthalmology, strabismus
and adult motility at the Children’s Hospital
of Pittsburgh, was in such hot demand he was
invited to speak at two meetings in New Zealand
in almost as many months. As a paediatric and
anterior segment subspecialist he was able to tell
us why we should ditch the traditional mnemonic
‘STUMPED’ when describing causes of congenital
corneal opacification (CCO). He argued that terms
such as sclerocornea and Peter’s anomaly failed to
adequately describe the pathology of CCO and that
we should refer to primary and secondary causes
of CCO, as described in his 2012 paper in Current
Opinions in Ophthalmology.
The next keynote, Professor Marian Macsai,
from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of
Medicine, is no stranger to our shores either, having
been invited to speak in Wellington for the 2015
RANZCO Congress. For her first presentation, this
straight-talking anterior segment specialist from
Chicago discussed corneal transplantation trends
in the USA. Data from a large series of American
corneal transplants is challenging traditional
thoughts about donor tissue, suggesting that preoperative
donor endothelial cell density and donor
age don’t predict graft failure.
NZ ophthalmology conundrums
After morning tea, a series of local speakers
highlighted the increasing load on public
ophthalmology services in New Zealand. Dr Sarah
Welch shared her thoughts on overdue follow ups
in Auckland. Interestingly, New Zealand’s ratio of
ophthalmologists of 28 per million population is
lower than that of the UK (52/million), USA (61/
million) and Australia (40/million). More local data
on the increasing demands on ophthalmology
services was also presented by Nick Theis from
Dunedin (see story next month), Dr Pei Wang
from Christchurch and Dr Pragy Jagadish from
Whangarei.
Samantha Simkin, a PhD candidate and
optometrist from Auckland, presented the
findings of her study on universal eye screening for
newborns. Although a newborn hearing screening
programme exists in New Zealand, eye screening
is still limited to the rather clumsy and poorly
sensitive red reflex test. Her project took RetCam
images of 346 healthy newborn babies in Auckland.
Retinal haemorrhages were found in 15.3%,
however, these resolved in all but two babies. More
serious pathology was detected in one case of optic
nerve head hypoplasia and one case of congenital
cataract. Simkin estimated the cost of a nationwide
screening programme to be around $2 million per
year which could be balanced against the cost of
early detection of preventable blindness.
Professor Charles McGhee reflected on the
changes in the Ophthalmology Department at
the University of Auckland over his 18-year tenure
and how this may affect our future workforce.
During his time, the department has trained not
only many ophthalmologists but also specialist
nurses and optometrists. A multidisciplinary-team
approach, and working smarter but not necessarily
harder, were the key ingredients to coping with the
increasing demand on ophthalmology services, he
said.
AMD, NZ studies and pearls from overseas
After lunch, Professor Tien Wong, medical director
at the Singapore National Eye Centre, reflected on
the 10-year journey treating age-related macular
degeneration (AMD) with anti VEGF agents. From
having no effective treatment for AMD to giving
patients a 90% chance of avoiding blindness
and a 30% to 40% chance of significant visual
improvement has been game changing, he said.
The afternoon’s rapid fire session featured
excellent talks from junior doctors from most
about cutting-edge research, for me as
a clinician, I particularly appreciate the
practical tips that will assist my decision
making come clinic time on Monday
morning. For that reason, Tien Wong’s
guidelines on the management of agerelated
macular degeneration and diabetic
maculopathy stand out as highlights for me
from this year’s conference.
Next year’s meeting will be hosted by
Dr Sue Ormonde and Professor Trevor
Sherwin in Auckland (date and venue to be
announced). I look forward to seeing you
New RANZCO NZ branch chair Dr Brian Kent-Smith (2nd left) with fellow convenors of the 2017
branch meeting Drs Graham Wilson (far left), Stuart Carol and, former chair, Stephen Ng with
there. ▀
Keynote speakers Professors Ken Nischal and Marian Macsai with
Dr Tahira Malik (centre)
centres in New Zealand. Dr Ellen Wang shared the
results of a 25-eye study looking at the potential
benefit in femtosecond laser assisted cataract
surgery (FLACS) in post-vitrectomised patients.
Although there was no statistically significant
difference in complication rates, there was a
suggestion that FLACS patients were less likely to
have posterior capsular rupture or dropped nuclei.
The final session of the day featured talks
from all the international speakers. Professor
Wong shared his principles of managing diabetic
macular oedema, warning of the perils of under
treating with anti-VEGF agents in the first year but,
conversely, not to over treat in the second year.
Professor Tim Sullivan, an oculoplastics specialist
special guest, GP and poet, Dr Glenn Colquhoun (centre)
Sylvia Hewson, Nadine Smith and Shelby Heyworth (front)
trying out equipment on the Zeiss stand
from Brisbane, ran through a series of fascinating
cases illustrating the surgeon’s dilemma of when
to cut and when to observe. Professor Nischal
provided some tips about paediatric cataract
surgery, including a nifty two-incision push-pull
capsulorhexis technique to avoid anterior capsular
tears. While Professor Macsai, tackled the thorny
question we’ve all had to ask (hopefully only about
a patient’s cornea) – is this Herpes? – by presenting
a case series demonstrating the key features of
herpes keratitis and how to differentiate it from
mimics such as limbal stem cell deficiency and
acanthamoeba.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
Don’t believe
everything you hear!
Contrary to the rumours…
Drs Aaron Wong, Robert Weatherhead and Anthony Suter
Dr Rob Jones, Jo Anderson, Justine Miller and Suzy Scorer
… the authentic strip,
always available at
Liz Kupa, Optimed’s Craig Norman and Sally Caldwell
Drs Graham Reeves, Kevin Taylor and Peter Hadden
0508 4435347
July 2017
NEW ZEALAND OPTICS
13

SPECIAL FEATURE: RANZCO NZ
Drs John Beaumont, Priya Samalia and Paul Baddeley
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13
New treatments for old problems
The weeping waters finally eased off on day two, but
thankfully the international guest speakers did not.
Intra-operative OCT is a cutting edge new surgical
tool, and Professor Nischal discussed its use in
endothelial corneal transplants in opaque corneas.
Recurrent corneal erosions can be a recurring
nightmare for both patients and clinicians but
Professor Macsai reassured the audience there are
a range of treatment options to suit each case. One
such option, not frequently mentioned, is YAG laser
to Bowman’s layer which works in a similar way to
anterior stromal puncture.
Professor Sullivan spoke about the latest
innovations in thyroid eye disease, including
Teprotumumab, a monocloncal antibody which
has been shown to be effective in a recent trial
published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Auckland oculopalstic surgeon Dr Paul Rosser
shared a technique he has developed; a scar-less
surgery for mild to moderate medial ectropion. The
internal lateral canthoplasty involves removing the
lateral part of the canthal tendon and reattaching
the remaining canthal tendon to the periostium all
through a conjunctival wound.
Changing views from around NZ
Before lunch, Dr Bia Kim, a training registrar from
Auckland, discussed her work on the second
iteration of the Auckland Cataract Study. The
Nurses: sharing the load
BY RACHEL COOK AND FIONA BAMFORTH*
The New Zealand Ophthalmic Nurses Group
Meeting, held alongside RANZCO NZ’s
meeting, in Paihia this year was a blast and
a half! Despite threats from Cyclone Donna, clear
blue skies prevailed (eventually) making Waitangi
an idyllic location for this year’s conference.
As part of the nurse’s conference organising
committee, it was an eye-opener for both of us
to see how much work everyone puts in to make
the conference a success. It was also interesting
to note that not many nurses submitted abstracts
to present. Curious, as we all know nurses love to
talk, but perhaps not so much in front of a crowd!
Hopefully Olga Brochner’s dynamic talk on ‘The
Presentation Taniwha’ may have given some more of
us some tips and the confidence to get up and give
it a go next year? Congratulations to the nurses who
did get up to present for the first time. It is always
valuable to hear how services are run in other parts
of the country, giving us a chance to reflect on our
own practices.
Some interesting case studies at this year’s
conference included retinal vein occlusion,
polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, hypertensive
uveitis and, that tongue-twister, juxtapapillary
capillary haemangioma of the optic disc – phew!
The images used in these presentations packed a
punch, as did the telling of the incredible success
of using stem cells to reconstruct an ocular surface
after an alkali burn.
Ophthalmic nurse, Lions Eye Donation Service
project officer at CERA in Melbourne and Fred
Hollows Foundation NZ consultant, Heather Machin
was welcomed back as the nurses’ keynote speaker.
As well as talking about her work in developing
areas, Heather also discussed the ethical dilemmas
involved with global eye banking, challenging many
of the audience’s own beliefs.
A focus this year was how the role of ophthalmic
nursing is developing so rapidly. It was interesting
(and at times humorous) to hear from Sue Raynel
on the historical duties of the ophthalmic nurse.
Her talk provided a stark contrast to how we are
advancing nursing practice today, a point illustrated
in a number of talks about our growing role in
prescribing. Sue also highlighted the need to plan
our career paths – where do we want to go and how
do we get there? David Garland’s journey towards
nurse practitioner (see story p16) was rather
sobering and illustrates how you should take the
Danni Gourdie, Dr Mike Mair, Debbie O’Driscoll, Jodi Welsh and Jane Hawthorn
Drs Shenton Chew, Narme Deva and Stuart Carroll
Kate Foss, Patti Simonsen and Rachel Cook
most direct path whatever your goal may be.
Oringa Barach, a Northland diabetic nurse
specialist updated us with the latest in diabetes
management and the importance of collaborative
patient care. This married well with David’s case
study of a patient he managed with diabetic
retinopathy.
The Blind Foundation presenters from Whangarei
highlighted the importance of providing visual aids
to the blind to enable them to live a fulfilling life
and to maintain their independence. Hopefully this
talk will result in more patients being registered
with the Blind Foundation.
Two nurses from the Solomons’ presented an
interesting talk on delivering eye care in the Solomon
Islands. It was great to see that with support from
countries like New Zealand they are able to deliver
effective ophthalmic care to their communities.
We were fortunate to be able to have some
combined sessions with the specialists and hear
about some of the most recent advances in
ophthalmology treatment, including some very
interesting sessions with international keynotes
Professors Ken Nischal and Tim Sullivan as well as
other interesting talks from our own New Zealand
doctors and budding ophthalmologists.
One of the highlights of the conference is the
Annual Scientifc Meeting Dinner at the conclusion
of the conference. The entertainment for this year’s
evening included wonderful GP and poet Glenn
Colquhoun and, with more than 80 nurses and
140 doctors, the local “That Band” had no trouble
packing the dance floor till well after midnight.
Networking at events like this can’t be
underestimated and we’re pleased to say this
has continued following the conference with
the development of the Facebook page,
‘Ophthalmic Nurses NZ’, which has already
over 100 followers. It provides a forum for
nurses to discuss relevant topics to assist
them in their practice.
At this stage, there hasn’t been a
confirmed venue for next year’s RANZCO
conference but we are already eagerly
anticipating the next Ophthalmic Nurses
Group Meeting for 2018. ▀
*Rachel Cook and Fiona Bamforth are both
ophthalmology clinical nurse specialists and were
both on the organising committee for this year’s
nurses’ programme. Rachel is based at the Eye
Clinic at Gisborne Hospital and Fiona is based in
Northland.
introduction of a risk stratification system reduced
the rate of intra-operative complications during
cataract surgery by 40%. Encouragingly, the study
found no statistically significant difference in the
complication rates when comparing registrars,
fellows and consultants.
Once again the afternoon rapid fire session did
not disappoint, featuring short and sharp talks from
clinicians from around the country. Dr Lucy Lu, a
non-training registrar from Auckland presented a
10-child case series in which timolol gel was used
topically for infantile capillary haemangioma.
There was complete resolution in nine of the
10 cases, in an average time to resolution of six
months. Dr Ellen Wang, a PhD candidate from
Auckland, gave us a whirlwind tour of confocal
microscopy in systemic disease. Amazingly, confocal
microscopy can detect corneal nerve changes early
in diabetes and potentially early in chemotherapyrelated
neuropathy. Dr Brian Kent-Smith, an
ophthalmologist from Whangarei (and one of the
meeting’s organisers) shared his musings on the role
of the general or comprehensive ophthalmologist.
Although there seems to be a trend towards
increasing subspecialisation, a large proportion
(42%) of Kiwi ophthalmologists who were involved
in his survey still considered themselves ‘generalists’.
In the final session, Dr Kathleeya Stang-Veldhouse
an oculoplastic specialist from Auckland presented an
unfortunate case of vision loss after a cosmetic-filler
injection. Hyaluronate filler injections to the nose and
glabella have been documented to cause retrograde
embolisation and occlusion of the ophthalmic artery.
Orthoptists, tackling issues
together
BY NIA STONEX*
Orthoptists from across New
Zealand gathered in the
beautiful Bay of Islands
for their annual meeting, held in
conjunction with the RANZCO New
Zealand Annual Scientific Branch
Meeting in May.
This year’s theme was ‘Nga Taniwha
Tigers and Traps – problems and pearls
in ophthalmology’ and the orthoptic
group certainly covered a lot of ground
in both areas.
Christchurch-based paediatric
ophthalmologist Dr Antony Bedggood
opened the meeting with a great
overview of progressive myopia, its
diagnosis and management. This was
followed by an insight into the world of
dispensing opticians thanks to Donald Crichton, vice
president of the Association of Dispensing Opticians
of New Zealand (ADONZ). We then got stuck into
nystagmus, which was followed by the first of
many interesting cases presented over the two-day
conference. This session also provided a springboard
for two recurrent themes of the meeting – thyroid
eye disease (TED) and vision screening.
Oculoplastics ophthalmologist Dr Kenneth Chan
begun his presentation of thyroid eye disease
on the Saturday with a general discussion of
its management. Our memory was tested as
Dr Chan picked up the topic again on Sunday,
where he shared current medical and ophthalmic
management practice along with some interesting
case studies.
On vision screening, Dr Logan Mitchell presented
the findings of an audit into the B4 School Check
in Southern and Tairawhiti DHB’s. While the
demographics were slightly different, there was an
overall true positive rate of 57%, which compares
favourably with other countries screening data.
Miriam Langeslag-Smith gave us an insight into
VHT (vision and hearing technicians) conditions
and training while Carly Henley provided data from
an audit of a combined-orthoptic and optometric
clinic in Auckland DHB, concluding VHT’s are doing a
Orthoptists Carly Henley, Nia Stone and Tammy Miller with speaker Donald Crichton
Prize winners and other highlights
The prize for the best junior presentation went
to Dr Bia Kim with special commendation to Dr
Pragy Jagadish and Dr Ellen Wang. The best overall
presentation went to Samantha Simkin.
Two other highlights occurred at the enjoyable
conference dinner: a poetry reading from Dr Glenn
Colqhoun and the speech from outgoing RANZCO
branch president Dr Stephen Ng.
Dr Glenn Colqhoun is a GP and poet who lives on
the Kapiti Coast. Although he has little to do with
ophthalmology, his witty and honest poems about
interactions with patients struck a chord with the
entire audience. It was no surprise that he left to a
standing ovation.
In Dr Stephen Ng’s last action as branch
president he reflected on how far ophthalmology
in New Zealand has come in recent times –
from Commerce Commission investigation to
successfully lobbying the government to provide
additional funding for delayed follow ups,
reminding us all, in a heart-felt manner, that our
job was simply to help our patients, whatever
it took. The weighty chains of office were then
handed to Dr Brian Kent-Smith. Perhaps a third
highlight of the dinner was the enthusiasm for the
dance floor on display that evening! Let’s not leave
it another 177 years Waitangi! ▀
*Dr Aaron Wong is a registrar working at Palmerston
North Hospital until December when he will be moving to a
Hamilton. His most significant contribution to this conference
was his baby son’s participation in Samantha Simkin’s prizewinning
research.
A great time was had by all at the orthoptics’ dinner, sponsored by DFV
good job though ongoing training and regular data
review is required.
Drs Shuan Dai, Simon Dean, Justin Mora and Vishal
Bhambhwani presented a wide range of interesting
cases, reflecting the scope of orthoptic involvement
in different ophthalmic sub-specialities. From ptosis
to topography, strabismus surgery to diplopia postcataract
surgery (our favourite taniwha), they guided
us through murky waters!
Orthoptic presentations ranged from unusual
paediatric conditions, such as Ehlers-Danlos
syndromes (a group of connective tissue disorders
that can be inherited) and Rett syndrome (a rare,
severe neurological disorder that affects mostly
girls) to interesting causes of diplopia (ectropion?
pterygium?) and included discussion on best
management for the cases presented.
Several orthoptic presenters discussed the
importance of communication with our ophthalmic
colleagues and delving into a patients’ history to
really get to the bottom of what’s going on.
To make our brains work a little harder, Sunday
afternoon was a workshop session covering the use
of the Sbisa bar, Bangerter foils, measuring DVD
(dissociated vertical deviation) and torsion. Plenty
of tigers and traps there, though I think we all came
away learning a pearl or two.
This review would not be complete
without a big thanks to all of those who
made the conference a success: thanks to
Miriam and Noirin, the organisers, for all
their hard work pulling the programme
together; thanks to all the speakers
who gave up their time and provided
their expert opinions; and finally, a
huge thank you to Designs for Vision
for sponsoring our dinner at Charlotte’s
Kitchen – a great night out at the place
to be seen in Paihia. ▀
*Nia Stonex is vice president of the NZ Orthoptic
Society, holds a Diploma of British Orthoptics and
works at Greenlane Clinical Centre.
14 NEW ZEALAND OPTICS July 2017

A busy exhibitors’ hall
The Copthorne Hotel’s stunning waterfront location in the
Waitangi National Trust Reserve, provided a serene backdrop to
the exhibition and refreshment area of the 2017 RANZCO New
Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting. The conference enjoyed healthy
support with 18 exhibitors present at this year’s event.
The exhibitors’ hall was busy during the staggered, but overlapping
break times of the main scientific programme and the concurrent
ophthalmic nurses’ and orthoptists’ programmes. Here’s some of the
highlights from the exhibitors’ in Paihia.
Toomac Ophthalmic
The highlight of the Toomac stand this year was the latest LS900
Lenstar from Haag Streit. The LS900 provides highly accurate laser
measurements for every section of the eye − from the cornea to the
retina. Lenstar was the first optical biometer to consider lens position,
thus allowing accuracy never seen before using the Olsen formula,
explained Mark Taylor, Toomac’s national manager. Intergrating the
Olsen formula, the Barrett Toric Calculator and the Hill RBF method,
the LS900 gives users outstanding IOL prediction, added Taylor. “The
LS900 is very much the Swiss army knife of IOL prediction.”
Also on display was the latest Haag Streit BQ 900 LED slit lamp with
14mm slit and imaging, ready mounted on the new HSM 600 electric
table (fully wheelchair accessible). The finish of the slit lamp is updated
from the old Hammerscale colours to a new shade of diamond silver.
“You only have to buy one Haag Streit slit lamp. You will use it your
entire career as your primary diagnostic tool,” said Toomac director Ian
MacFarlane.
Johnson & Johnson Vision, surgical
Johnson and Johnson Vision, formerly Abbott Medical Optics (AMO),
was hard to miss as the company’s stand welcomed guests into
the exhibitors’ hall with a bright red space right by the entrance.
Showcasing the Tecnis Symfony family of lenses, the team from
Johnson & Johnson Vision enjoyed the opportunity to talk to and
assure New Zealand’s ophthalmic community that it’s business
as usual, albeit under a new name. AMO’s acquisition by J&J is an
opportunity for the organisation to help patients as their eye health
needs change throughout their life, as one company, said the J&J team.
Tecnis Symfony offers a full range of intraocular lenses (IOLs),
including the extended range of vision option, described as a
revolution in lens designs, offering continuous focus without blurring.
Zeiss
Zeiss’ busy team were happy to talk to visitors about the company’s
new IOLMaster 700, recently launched in Los Angeles. Zeiss’ product
specialist, Chris Money said what’s special about this machine is the
integrated Barrett suite (Barrett Universal II, True-K and Toric) providing
accurate IOL calculations, especially in complicated cases. The
IOLMaster 700’s 99% cataract penetration rate makes it efficient and
its increased accuracy means fewer refractive surprises, he added.
Also attracting attention on Zeiss’s stand was the Cirrus HD-OCT
5000, which provides a far better field of view (36° W x 30° H; 36°
W x 22° H), a higher frame rate (> 20 Hz > 1.7 Hz) and a transverse
resolution of 25μm vs 45μm (in tissue) compared to the 500 model.
Device Technologies
Device’s stand was dominated by the latest version of the posterior
and anterior swept source Topcon Triton OCT (including FA and FAF),
sparking considerable interest among delegates. This new generation
of OCT allows retinal specialists to see retinal layers in more detail; it
gives a better view and deeper images, explained Diego Sonderegger,
Device’s product specialist. The Triton models feature swept source
OCTA resulting in more economical and safer tests as in many cases
fluorescein dye injection won’t be required, he said. “Ultimately
we’re reaching a point where an advanced OCTA algorithm combined
with the deep layer swept source scan makes a large proportion of
fluorescein angiograms superfluous.”
Sharing the spotlight was Quantel’s Aviso S high-resolution A
and B-scan for posterior and UBM anterior segment. It comes with
a standardised A-scan ultrasound and software providing internal
reflectivity analysis and characterisation of tissues. It’s available with B
mode, UBM and biometry modes, said Sonderegger.
Designs for Vision
For the first time in New Zealand, Designs for Vision (DFV) showcased
its Tomey OA-2000 Swept-source FD-OCT biometer with built-in
topography, 3D tracking and the Barrett Universal Formula, designed
to identify all the relevant measurements required for cataract
surgery faster and more accurately than competing products. “Put
simply, the new Tomey biometer is one of the best machines available
in the market for measuring cataracts, especially dense cataracts,
demonstrating one of the highest measuring success rate to date,” said
DFV product manager, Ignatios Koukouras..
RANZCO NZ Branch officers
Following the AGM in Paihia the following individuals were named
as branch officers
Chair: Dr Brian Kent-Smith
Treasurer & secretary: A/Prof Andrea Vincent
Vice chair: Dr Keith Small
Executive committee: Drs Stephen Best, Graham Wilson,
Peter Hadden and Derek Sherwood
Ex officio: Dr Stephen Ng
Qualifications & education committee: Drs Michael Merriman
and Jo Sims
Continuing professional education: Dr Kolin Foo
International medical graduate committee: Dr Ainsley Morris
RANZCO director: Dr Neil Murray
RANZCO councillor: Dr Jim Borthwick
Registrar representative: Dr Cheefoong Chong
Dr Jina Han (left) and Professor Trevor Sherwin with conference organisers
Cassandra Snow and Paula Armstrong
Drs Lucy Lu, Shuan Dai, Dean Corbett and Stephen Ng
ZEISS
NZ: 0800 334 353
med.au@zeiss.com
Humphrey ® Field Analyzer 3 (HFA3)
The best just got better.
The HFA3 provides a streamlined workflow with new features to
save time and improve confidence.
• Reduce set-up time with Liquid Lens technology, that delivers
each patient’s refractive correction with the touch of a button.
• Improve efficiency with an intuitive new SmartTouch interface.
• Improve confidence in test results with RelEYE by instantly
reviewing your patient’s eye position at any stimulus point.
www.zeiss.com/HFA3
Dr Ellen Wang, Professors Marian Macsai and Charles McGhee with Samantha Simkin, Dr Bia Kim and Jane McGhee
Solomon Island ophthalmic nurses Lorana Lekezoto (left) and Lily Sere (3rd left) with Dena D’Souza, Kushma Ravindra,
Sarah Piluden and Michael Macaso
Streamlining your
clinic workflow.
ZEISS Humphrey Field Analyzer 3
CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
Ask about
our special
trade-in
offer!
July 2017
NEW ZEALAND OPTICS
15

SPECIAL FEATURE: RANZCO NZ
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15
Molteno Ophthalmic
Nina Molteno, CEO of Molteno Ophthalmic and
a former GP, was happy to chat about Molteno’s
purpose-built glaucoma implants designed to help
patients with moderate to severe and complicated
cases of glaucoma. Molteno highlighted their
unique focus; delivering a long-term solution for
patients. “Ideally we want our patients to only
ever need one procedure and one implant and to
help make that happen we’re constantly on the
lookout for improvements to make surgery easier
and safer, with better outcomes for patients.”
Molteno’s research partnerships were also
attracting attention, especially the Vicryl tie
question for occluding the tube. University of
Canterbury final-year engineering student Donald
Sinclair spent his summer finding answers to this
and several other “knotty” questions in his study
comparing techniques and suture materials. One
conclusions from his research is how thicker suture
material, 5.0 Vicryl, is significantly less likely to
damage the tube compared to finer suture material
(P

ARVO in America’s charm city
BY DR STUTI MISRA*
No wonder America’s first umbrellas were
produced in Baltimore in 1828. After
a long flight hiatus, due to weather, I
finally arrived in America’s charm city, Baltimore,
to attend the 2017 Association for Research in
Vision and Ophthalmology conference, more
affectionately known as ARVO. And, to my surprise
(not!), the weather was cold and wet.
This year’s conference was held from 6 to 11
May and the theme was ‘Global connections
in Vision Research’ and aptly so! There were
several meetings taking place to instigate new
collaborations and to foster existing ones with the
intent to advance vision science. ARVO attracted
about 11,000 attendees from 75 countries this
year, 45% of which were from outside the United
States of America. At any one point in time,
symposia, mini-symposia, workshops, special
interest group meetings and poster presentations
were taking place. In total, over five-and-a-half
thousand oral/poster and panel discussions were
held. Since time-travel is not an option yet and
as it’s impossible to be in two places at the same
time, it was extremely difficult for most of us to
decide on which sessions to attend.
This year, only a small contingent of Kiwi
clinicians, scientists and clinician-scientists
travelled to America’s east coast for ARVO.
Associate Professors Jennifer Craig and Andrea
Vincent and doctoral student Di Huang and I were
the only ones from this part of the world who
presented their research. All female scientists!
Speaking of female scientists, this year for the
first time in the history of ARVO, the opening
keynote speaker was a female professor, Professor
Mary-Claire King who heads up medical genetics
at the University of Washington. Professor King
discussed her cancer work and inherited-genetic
disorders affecting eyes.
Homegrown presentations
Our very own expert on genetic eye diseases, A/
Prof Andrea Vincent presented on the genetic
mistakes that cause x-linked inherited retinal
diseases within a New Zealand population; while
Di Huang discussed her work on an ultrasoundmediated
nanoparticle delivery system across the
retina after intravitreal injection. I, meanwhile,
presented on the ‘Automated analysis of in vivo
confocal microscopy images of corneal nerves’. This
project was a collaborative effort by researchers
from The University of Auckland, Johns Hopkins
University in Maryland and image analysis
technology company Voxeleron from California.
In vivo confocal microscopy of the cornea
was very much a topic of discussion at ARVO.
After being around for almost two decades, it is
now being used not only in ophthalmology but
increasingly for endocrinology and neurological
disorders. Representatives from Heidelberg,
manufacturer of the microscopes, said they had
received multiple enquires about this increasingly
popular technology at the conference.
A/Prof Jennifer Craig presented her research
comparing efficacy of a commercial eyelid
cleanser and diluted baby shampoo. She
concluded the eyelid cleanser reduced eye surface
inflammation and improved quality of the tear
film lipid layer and was better tolerated by
participants.
DEWSII
As vice chair of the Tear film & Ocular Surface’s
Dry Eye Workshop II (TFOS DEWSII) A/Prof Craig
also co-chaired the much-awaited DEWSII results
symposia, alongside workshop chair Dr Daniel
Nelson and organiser Dr David Sullivan. This was
one of the most highly-anticipated special interest
group symposia of the annual conference. A/
Prof Craig presented the updated definition and
classification of dry eye to an audience of about
500. The new ‘Dry Eye’ definition was generally
well received, but instigated several intense
discussions amongst audience members and
presenters. Other ocular surface experts: Drs
Fiona Stapleton, Mark Wilcox, David Sullivan
and Anthony Bron; presented final conclusions
and recommendations from the TFOS DEWSII
report including pathophysiology, diagnosis,
epidemiology, sex differences, pain/sensation and
management/therapy of dry eye.
Ocular imaging
Ocular imaging was, by far, the highlight of
this year’s ARVO conference. Everything from
‘Noncontact quantitative optical coherence
elastography of the cornea’ and ‘3D multiphoton
microscopy to study central corneal nerve
fiber loss’ to ‘Isolated
elevation of intraocular
pressure and its impact
on ocular aberrations
in healthy eyes’, was
discussed.
Other highlights
The most exciting part
of any ARVO conference
are the poster sessions.
Dedicated poster
sessions and ‘All poster
sessions’ allow attendees
Baltimore Harbour
to have one-on-one
chats with researchers.
The poster sessions also meant you got to
complete over 11,000 steps every single day. So
the posters kept everyone on their toes, both
literally and figuratively!
I was also invited (thanks to A/Prof Craig) to the
6th Lid and Meibomian Gland Working Group
dinner meeting. The plenary lecture was delivered
by ocular surface and dry eye disease authority Dr
Donald Korb. Having dinner with such a legend
was as much a delight as an honour.
ARVO also provided the opportunity to catch-up
with old Auckland colleagues who are working in
the northern hemisphere now. It was great to see
Drs Chi-Ying Chou and Christina Grupcheva who
also presented their respective research at the
conference.
Finally, ARVO 2017 attendees raised over
US$32,000 ($44, 500) for the ARVO Foundation
thanks to a generous $15,000 matching gift from
members, US-based neuroscientists and eye
researchers, Nic and Haydee Bazan. A very kind
gesture indeed.
Visiting Baltimore, also provided an opportunity
to strengthen our ties with collaborators Professor
Joseph Mankowski and his team at the School of
Medicine at Johns Hopkins University. So watch
this space for some more research papers in
Honolulu at the 2018 ARVO meeting! ▀
*Dr Stuti Misra is an overseas-trained optometrist and a
Stevenson research fellow in the ophthalmology department
at the University of Auckland. Her research interests include
corneal imaging and she is currently investigating the effects of
bariatric or weight loss surgery and chemotherapy on corneal
nerve microstructure and retinal wide-field imaging and ocular
abnormalities in the paediatric population.
Associate Professors Andrea Vincent and Jennifer Craig with Dr Stuti Misra at
ARVO 2017
Collaborators dinner: (from left) Rachel Weinberg and Prof Joseph Mankowski
from Johns Hopkins University, Dr Jonathan Oakley (Voxeleron), Megan McCaron
(Johns Hopkins) and Dr Stuti Misra
Hunt’s first
RANZCO NZ
Behind the
scenes, but
celebrating
her first RANZCO
NZ branch
meeting was
Helen Hunt, the
only Wellingtonbased
RANZCO
employee and
the RANZCO NZ
branch officer.
Hunt replaced
Cameron McIver,
who retired in
Helen Hunt, RANZCO’s representative in
Wellington
June last year, in a newly expanded role as part of
RANZCO’s Policy and Programmes Team to help
RANZCO better support its members and lobbying
efforts in New Zealand. The position has been
expanded from one to three days per week and a
physical office space has been established in the
Wellington CBD on Lambton Quay in the offices of
the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of
Radiologists.
Hunt is a senior policy analyst, who spent 12 years
working for the Ministry of Health. Her passion
is public health and non-communicable disease
issues, she says. “I have undertaken policy work
on alcohol and illicit drug harm minimisation,
problem gambling, mental health promotion, suicide
prevention as well as working on improving service
delivery for forensic mental health, oral health,
maternity and child health.”
A year in, she says she’s “really enjoying” working
with the New Zealand fellows to raise awareness
about the demands on ophthalmology services due
to the growing number of patients with chronic eye
disease. “I am also looking forward to continuing
work with the Ministry of Health to find national
solutions to build the capacity of ophthalmology
departments.” ▀
ASCRS 2017
BY DR DEAN CORBETT*
The American Society of Cataract and
Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) conference
returned to Los Angeles in 2017 for the first
time since 1990 in May. Having been held there
regularly in the ‘80s and ‘90s, it was a departure
from the regular mega-conference venues of
San Diego, San Francisco, New Orleans, Boston,
Chicago and Washington DC.
For me, the “City of Angels” lived up to its
reputation of traffic congestion and homeless
people, but failed to deliver the balmy dry weather
it is renowned for. In fact, the temperature was
only about equal to New Zealand at the same time
and it rained for two of the 5 days I was there!
As for the Congress, the conference centre was
reasonably user friendly but, consistent with
the US mega meetings with more than 6000
attendees and 300+ companies displaying their
latest wares in the massive trade hall, it was
spread out over a very large campus, including
eight hectares of exhibit space and no less than 64
meeting rooms.
The Congress is regularly attended by
ophthalmologists from around the globe and New
Zealand ophthalmologists and their support staff
are well represented.
The focus of the meeting is the latest thinking
in cataract and refractive surgery but, as is typical,
there are speakers giving perspectives on a range
of topics including vitreoretinal and glaucoma.
Highlights: MIGS
This year, for the first time, there was a significant
presence, including some data presentations, on
the coming of age for modern glaucoma surgery.
MIGS (minimally-invasive glaucoma surgery) is
poised to make a major entry into the repertoire
of the cataract and refractive surgeon. From more
traditional trabecular bypass stents, such as iStent
and iStent Inject (Glaukos’ second generation
device) and the Ivantis’ Hyrdus microstent to the
ab interno subconjunctival approach of the Xen
gel stent and the suprachoroidal shunts, such
as Cypass, there is now a literal smorgasbord of
choices for the competent
anterior segment surgeon.
Three-year data for iStent
was presented showing a
10mmHg reduction of IOP,
which brings these devices
into direct competition with
eye drops and challenges
trabeculectomy, the current
gold standard.
Femtosecond laser vision
correction using the SMILE
technique from Zeiss,
attracted a significant
amount of attention.
In the US, an early FDA
recognition of the safety
and effectiveness of this
technique has fuelled
interest, but this is not
unexpectedly attenuated by the limitation of the
procedure to 3-8 dioptres of spherical myopia
only. This leaves LASIK as the better treatment
option in the US, for all patients with more than
0.75D of astigmatism. Elsewhere in the world, the
range of treatment for SMILE crosses all levels of
myopia, from up to -11D with astigmatism to 5D.
There were also presentations of some excellent
outcomes for hyperopic SMILE treatment that is
under investigation at several sites around the
world, including London under Professor Dan
Reinstein.
Captain Scott Kelly
Astronaut Captain Scott Kelly delivered an
hour long keynote presentation in the Walter
E Washington Convention Centre’s Grand
Hall, which was interesting, stimulating and
entertaining; off-topic (ophthalmology), but
bringing together the concepts of progress by
small and consistent steps of improvement
leading to achievement of a goal. As a school
dropout, his determination to plan and achieve by
measurable and achievable small goals led him
to be in the unique position of having spent the
longest time in space of any human. With others,
Astronaut Scott Kelly delivered the Science, Medicine and Technology Lecture at the 2017 ASCRS and
ASOA Congress
Captain Kelly has led scientific discoveries that
will ensure positive progress for medicine and
technology, and data collected from research into
astronauts and glaucoma may well challenge the
current dogma in the understanding of glaucoma.
Dry Eye, cross-linking and in conclusion
Dry eye also received significant coverage, with
several competing technologies coming together
to hopefully begin to deliver improvement in
a tangible way for patients with mixed and
evaporative dry eye.
Corneal collagen cross-linking, in particular with
the Avedro platform, shows possible applications
for the remodeling of shape to treat refractive
errors, as well as ectatic corneal disorders.
Overall ASCRS was a familiar meeting at an
unfamiliar venue. Good for the content typical of a
major American meeting. I Always enjoy meeting
with colleagues there, but would be happy to not
have to attend in LA again. ▀
*Dr Dean Corbett is a specialist in refractive and glaucoma
surgery, a clinical lecturer, chair of the CPAC steering group and
has been instrumental in the introduction of new devices and
surgical techniques for the improvement of vision. He’s based in
Auckland at Greenlane Hospital and Auckland Eye.
July 2017
NEW ZEALAND OPTICS
17

for optometrists and eye care professionals
with
Prof Charles McGhee
& A/Prof Dipika Patel
Series Editors
Glaucoma: Has it progressed?
BY DR JAY MEYER*
This is a key question that should be answered
at follow-up evaluations of patients with
glaucoma. It can be a difficult question to
answer for many patients, particularly based on
measurements taken at a single point in time.
Readily available evaluation techniques include
both structural testing (ophthalmoscopy, optic
disc photography/imaging) and functional testing
(perimetry).
When apparent progression has occurred, the
examiner must determine whether there has been
real, or true, progression. There are a number of
potential causes of false progression that must
be ruled out before progression can be considered
“real”. Three questions can help determine
whether progression is real:
• Is the exam reliable?
• Has there been significant change?
• Is the change repeatable?
Repeatable change over time is the hallmark of
progression in glaucoma. This article will focus
on the three most commonly used techniques to
evaluate and monitor for progression in glaucoma:
Optic disc ophthalmoscopy and photography, Ocular
Coherence Tomography (OCT) and perimetry.
Optic disc ophthalmoscopy and
stereophotography
As retinal ganglion cell axons are lost, changes
occur in the structure and appearance of
the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) and optic
disc. These changes may be detected using
ophthalmoscopy and optic disc photography.
Optic disc stereo-photographs are ideally obtained
during an initial evaluation to provide an objective
baseline to which future examinations and photos
may be compared. Documentation of optic disc
appearance includes subjective (disc drawings) and
objective (photographic or imaging) methods.
Is the exam reliable? Stereo optic disc
photographs have traditionally been considered
the gold standard for documentation and
monitoring optic disc appearance. If stereoscopic
photos cannot be obtained, monocular
photographs may be used. Optic disc drawings
(even detailed) and documentation of cup/disc
ratios are insufficient to detect mild to moderate
progression, particularly when recorded by
different examiners. Image quality can be affected
by media opacity, ocular surface irregularities
and patient cooperation. Differences in the focus,
colour, illumination or magnification can influence
the comparison between photographs and result
in false-positive or false-negative progression.
Has there been significant change?
Glaucomatous optic disc changes are characterised
by thinning of the neuroretinal rim, cupping
of the optic disc and thinning or defects of the
RNFL. Progressive generalised or focal thinning
(notching) of the neuroretinal rim indicates
progression. RNFL loss can occur in diffuse,
localized or mixed patterns. Localised RNFL
loss appears as a (subtle) wedge-shaped dark
area emanating from the optic disc and the
development or enlargement of a defect can be
evidence of progression.
Signs that suggest risk for progression include
the development of an optic nerve pit and
beta zone peripapillary atrophy changes. Disc
haemorrhages may presage progression and
can occur at the neuroretinal rim (frequently at
the edge of a notch), adjacent nerve fibre layer
or lamina cribrosa. Disc haemorrhages may be
small and can easily go undetected prior to their
resolution within 2 to 6 months.
Limitations: The interpretation of
ophthalmoscopy and photographs is subjective
and dependent on examiner skill level.
Ocular coherence tomography (OCT)
OCT allows quantitative measurements of the
structural properties of the optic nerve and
retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL). OCT has gained
popularity for detecting glaucomatous damage
and monitoring progression owing to the speed
and ease of examination and objectivity of the
measurements.
Is the exam reliable? The image quality must
be critically evaluated. OCT can easily mislead
the examiner as up to a third of scans have been
shown to have artefacts 1 .Poor signal strength and
18 NEW ZEALAND OPTICS July 2017
Fig 1. The RNFL thickness map appears relatively normal. However, review of the RNFL image shows that the software incorrectly traced the
posterior hyaloid instead of the RNFL (white arrow) for half of the disc
image quality can result from high axial length,
media opacity or surface irregularity and can result
in artefactual thinning of the RNFL 2 .Measurement
errors may occur due to misalignment or
segmentation errors where the software
incorrectly traces the RNFL. Artefacts may be
induced by many causes, including: vitreopapillary
traction (Fig 1), uveitis and epiretinal membranes.
Has there been significant change? Serial trends
in the overall or regional RNFL thickness can
be used to determine whether there has been
progressive thinning. The minimal amount of
change required to represent true progression
depends on the test-retest variability of the
instrument and on the location/area of testing.
The amount of change due to test-retest variability
in less than 5% of eyes is approximately 4-5 µm for
average RNFL thickness on the Cirrus HD-OCT. The
tolerance limit increases when specific locations
are examined with up to 8 µm of variability seen at
individual quadrants and 12 µm at individual clock
hours 3 . Event or trend-based analyses are available
on some commercially available OCT machines.
Limitations: OCT has decreased sensitivity to
detect progressive optic disc and RNFL changes
in the late stages of disease when there is
little remaining RNFL. Utility is also limited for
evaluation of anomalous discs or those with
significant peripapillary atrophy.
Perimetry
Ultimately, the
preservation of visual
function is the goal of
glaucoma management
and thus visual field
testing is essential for
monitoring.
Is the exam reliable?
Fixation losses greater
than 20% indicates poor
reliability. Gaze tracking
allows for more accurate
interpretation of patient
fixation stability. False
positives are a key
reliability index and
indicate a “trigger happy”
patient who has pressed
the response button
in the absence of a
stimulus. If false positives
are >15%, the test
should be invalidated or
repeated. False negatives
represent variability in
patient responses and are
seen at increasing levels
in depressed visual fields.
In a patient without a
significant field defect,
a false negative value of
10% to 15% or more is
suggestive of inattention.
Improper lens
selection or placement,
uncorrected astigmatism,
or astigmatism corrected
at the wrong axis can
induce artefacts. A patient’s refraction can also
change, particularly after cataract surgery and a
lens used at previous visits may not be the best
lens for the current test. An off-centre lens can
restrict the visual field and a lens sitting far from
the eye can cause constriction of the visual field
(rim artefact).
Has there been significant change? It is
important to establish a baseline of visual fields
when a diagnosis of glaucoma is made. Where
resources are available to do this, testing should
be performed until two tests that are reliable and
consistent are obtained. Eyes with glaucomatous
visual field damage show marked variability which
makes it difficult to determine whether there has
been significant progression or whether changes
seen are due to test-retest variability. Variability in
moderately damaged visual field locations can be
up to 300-400% greater compared to visual field
areas with normal sensitivity 4 . In addition, the
further from fixation, the greater the variability
(fluctuation of the threshold sensitivity) at a
specific location. More peripheral field defects
may be expected to show more fluctuation than
central defects. In fact, in the Ocular Hypertension
Treatment Study (OHTS), over 80% of abnormal
visual fields were false positives when retested 5 .
As a rule, visual field testing should be repeated if
there is suspicion that progression has occurred.
Fig 2. This patient stopped taking drops for two years and had uncontrolled IOP with progression. A superior
nasal step developed (red arrow), correlating with inferotemporal thinning (by 21µm, black arrow) on OCT
There are many ways to approach the evaluation
of progression of visual field testing and there is
no widely accepted gold standard or consensus
regarding the best method. The most commonly
used approach is subjective evaluation, or clinical
judgement, where a clinician determines whether
it “looks worse”. This subjective method can result
in wide variation in clinical practice between
practitioners and progressive visual field changes
may be overdiagnosed 6 .
There are two general statistically-based
approaches to determine whether progression has
occurred: event-based and trend-based analyses.
Event-based methods define progression based
on the occurrence of change from one time point
to another by comparing a single evaluation to
prior results (usually the baseline fields). Trendbased
methods determine whether a statisticallysignificant
downward trend in some particular
measure of the visual field, such as mean
deviation, has occurred using linear regression
techniques. An advantage of trend-based methods
is that it provides information about the rate of
change. Multiple visual fields must be performed
over time before these analyses can provide useful
information. Event-based analyses may detect
progression earlier, while trend based analyses
may take longer to detect progression but are
more useful in later stages of disease.
Limitations: There are many potential ocular and
non-ocular masquerades of glaucomatous visual
field defects. Some ocular causes include: retinal
vein or artery occlusion, macular pathology and
optic neuropathy due to other causes (ischemia,
demyelination).
Clinicians should confirm suspected
glaucomatous change by repeating the test
at another time and comparing it to other
diagnostic and clinical results. One way to assess
for masquerading conditions is to correlate
structural and functional changes (ie. thinning of
neuroretinal rim and RNFL inferiorly should result
in a matching superior VF defect) (Fig 2). However,
it is also important to recognise that structural
and functional changes produced by glaucoma
often may not correlate, further complicating the
clinical dilemma of progression determination 7 .
This discordance may be due to the development
of structural and functional changes at different
time intervals.
Visual field data is compared to a normal
database and in the case of the Humphrey
database, grouped in 10-year intervals. A patient’s
field may falsely improve when moving into an
older age group (ie. from 69 to 70) as the more
recent test would be compared with a different
database than the previous tests. ▀
References
1. Asrani S, et al. Artifacts in spectral-domain optical
coherence tomography measurements in glaucoma. JAMA
Ophthalmol. 2014;132:396-402.
2. Wu Z, et al. Signal strength is an important determinant
of accuracy of nerve fiber layer thickness measurement by
optical coherence tomography. J Glaucoma. 2009;18:213-
216.
3. Mwanza JC, et al. Reproducibility of peripapillary
retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and optic nerve
head parameters measured with Cirrus HD-OCT
in glaucomatous eyes. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci.
2010;51:5724-30.
4. Johnson CA. Detecting functional changes in the patient’s
vision: Visual field analysis. In: Samples JR, Schaknow PN,
eds. Clinical Glaucoma Care. New York: Springer, 2014;142.
5. Keltner JL, et al. Confirmation of visual field abnormalities
in the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study. Arch
Ophthalmol. 2000;118:1187-94.
6. Shulzer M. Errors in the diagnosis of visual field
progression in normal-tension glaucoma. Ophthalmology.
1994;101:1589-94.
7. Hood D, Kardon RH. A framework for comparing
structural and functional measures of glaucomatous
damage. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2007;26:688-710.
Dr Jay Meyer
About the author
* Dr Jay Meyer is an anterior
segment and glaucoma
specialist and Senior Lecturer
at the University of Auckland.

New Kiwi DOs
Congratulations to the 23 New Zealand
students graduating at the 36th Australian
Dispensing Opticians Association (ADOA)
optical graduation held at Darling Harbour in
Sydney on 26 May.
The Association of Dispensing Opticians of New
Zealand (ADONZ) president Peggy Savage was
invited to celebrate the occasion alongside her
Australian counterpart Martin Kocbek, with both
welcoming the graduates and their guests to the
celebratory evening.
“It was a proud moment for me to see our
The ADOA graduates
students at their graduation, the highlight
of their achievements,” said Savage adding
the venue overlooked Vivid Sydney’s light
displays and fireworks, which all added to the
wonderfulness of the evening.
The gala evening included a mix of speeches
and awards with Libby Boschen, CEO of
Optometry South Australia, as the guest of
honour. Optical dispensing educator Steve Daras
received the John Jackson ADOA Award, for his
“passionate teaching of optics.” ▀
Presidents Peggy Savage, ADONZ and
Martin Kocbek, ADOA
Tasmania: a focus on
low vision
Registration is now open for Tasmania’s
Lifestyle Congress (TLC) on 25-27 August
in picturesque Hobart, which includes
a comprehensive Low Vision Seminar on the
Saturday morning.
Auckland-based low vision specialist optometrist,
Naomi Meltzer, says after a number of years
of including a low vision specialist part of the
programme, the annual TLC is fast becoming the
number one conference for anyone interested in
low vision in Australia and New Zealand.
This year’s congress will, once again, be held at
the impressive, waterfront Hotel Grand Chancellor,
which boasts some of the best views in the city,
and continues Optometry Tasmania’s tradition of
inviting a high calibre of international and domestic
speakers, said Meltzer.
Keynotes include:
• Associate Professor Lori Vollmer, director of
residency programs with Nova Southeastern
University, USA, who has a special interest in ocular
disease and nutrition; and
• Professor Joseph Sowka, an American Academy
of Optometry (AAO) fellow, Optometric Glaucoma
Foundation president and vice-chair of AAO’s
Neuro-ophthalmic Disorders in Optometry Special
Interest Group
A unique experience of the annual congress is
the conference dinner where delegates are ferried
from the Hobart waterfront to the world famous
(or infamous) Museum of Old & New Art (MONA)
located within the Moorilla winery for an exclusive
visit and dinner.
For more information visit: www.optometry.org.
au/tas/tlc/ ▀
Specsavers ships
25 million
Specsavers’ Port Melbourne manufacturing facility dispatched
its 25-millionth pair of glasses at the end of April, just over
a year after passing the 20 million mark in March 2016. The
regional milestone pair of specs came from the company’s highlypromoted
new Kylie Minogue range, launched earlier this year.
Specsavers dispatched its first pair of glasses for the Australia and
New Zealand (ANZ) region in March 2007, when it was testing a
range of lenses and frames on a wholesale basis with independent
practices. Within eight years, the business had completed 15 million
orders, and just over a further two years to finish its next 10 million.
“The expanding Specsavers retail network continues to push the
boundaries regarding customer value with record-breaking volumes
throughout 2016,” said Ian Lindsey, Specsavers’ manufacturing
head for Asia Pacific. “Total record order volume through the Port
Melbourne hub during the year saw a total of 4,434,724 pairs of
spectacles completed and dispatched. A staggering 95,000 orders
were also generated during the last four trading days of the year –
beating the previous year’s record by some distance.
“We have seen numerous records come and go, but over 28,000
jobs leaving the facility in one day was very scary, requiring nearly
140 sacks to enable the courier to transport the spectacles.” ▀
Biof inity Energys
With Digital Zone Optics lens design
A breakthrough for sphere lens wearers
3
3
ONLY AVAILABLE
FROM OPTOMETRISTS
IN AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
Digital Zone Optics
lens design
Combining the natural wettability of Aquaform® Technology
with the innovation of Digital Zone Optics lens design.
Port Melbourne’s team has now shipped more than 25 million pairs of glasses
BTP appointment
Dispensing optician (DO) Caron
Bowe has joined the BTP
International Designz team.
Director Trish Orr, says she’s excited
about the appointment and Safarro,
the new handmade, Italian frame
brand Bowe will be introducing to the
New Zealand market (see story p11).
Bowe’s experience as a DO will also be
very useful for the development of the
market for Rodenstock lenses, added
Orr. “We know that her passion and
Caron Bowe now part of the BTP team dedication to the optical industry will
be an asset to our company.”
After working in optics for 15-plus years Bowe qualified as a DO in
2011. She said she is looking forward to the challenges her new role
with BTP will bring and is excited about promoting the Rodenstock
lens range and introducing Safarro to New Zealand.
As a BTP representative, Bowe will also be responsible for the
following frame ranges: Rodenstock, Vera Wang, Furla, Empire,
Rocco, Oliviero Contini, Random and Porsche. ▀
Digital Zone Optics
lens design
• Helps ease the accommodative burden without
impacting distance visual acuity
• Multiple front-surface aspheric curves
- across the entire optical zone
- distribute power evenly to simulate more
positive power in the centre of the lens
Aquaform ® Technology
• Biofinity Energys lenses are made with
Aquaform® Technology for natural moisture and
breathability to help dryness symptoms associated
with digital device use.
• Long silicone chains and compatible hydrogen
bonds lock water within the lens for a smooth,
naturally wettable surface.
All the benef its of Biofinity ® enhanced with a unique lens design ideal for both
on-screen and off-screen activities.
Why prescribe anything else for your monthly and two-weekly contact lens wearers?
Contact your CooperVision ® Agent of Optomism for more information.
July 2017
© CooperVision 2017
NEW ZEALAND OPTICS
19

Many can still remember the days when
glasses were for nerds or girls passed
over in the romance stakes.
Huge unflattering frames and thick lenses
seriously damaged
your street cred and
were certainly no
style statement.
In contrast,
today glasses
are one of the
hottest must-have
accessories, with
the fashionable
and famous
unashamedly
Seinfeld epitomising “the nerd”
sporting specs and
even launching
their own frame ranges. Some notable names
even have glasses as an essential part of their
signature look; so how did they go from being
a visual aid to a fashion item?
A look back
Historically, glasses have been around for a long
time; but it wasn’t until the early 1920s that
plastics allowed cheaper production and the
mass manufacturing of spectacle frames
took off.
Early spectacles were made specifically
for reading purposes so there was a greater
likelihood that the person wearing them was
educated. It was then a perception that glasses
wearers were more intelligent was born, yet
also inferior as
they ruined their
eyesight to the
point of requiring
medical apparatus
to see clearly.
“No matter how
clever you think
you are, reading
all of those books
has made you
weak-eyed,” explains Dr Neil Handley, the curator
of the British Optical Association Museum at the
College of Optometrists and one of the foremost
historians on all things spectacle related, about
the thinking at that time. “People thought you
could damage your eyes by being too bookish.”
In 2012, Handley analysed the changing social
norms toward glasses wearers throughout
history and discovered that while Hitler wore
reading
glasses,
images of
him doing
so were
censored
by the Nazi
Party for
fear of his
authority
being
weakened.
Thankfully glasses are no longer a sign of
inferiority, instead they are now firmly associated
with the academic giants of the world and just
as important as a hairstyle in forming a distinct
personal image. To thank for this dramatic shift is
a combination of celebrity, societal subcultures,
technology and good old fashioned money.
Celebrity first impressions…
Style-Eyes
Cashing in on spec style
History of eyewear authority, Dr Neil
Handley
A censored picture of Hitler wearing reading
glasses
Know that old ‘first impressions’ saying? When
you see a wearer-of-glasses superficial judgments
begin formulating and whatever takes place
afterwards is filtered through
these. No one sees a person with glasses and
thinks nothing!
And nowhere is the need for instant recognition
and ‘branding’ more important than in the world
of the celebrity. With an increasing number of
celebs embracing the glasses trend to silently
project certain messages about themselves, they
have laid the groundwork to influence those that
admire them.
BY MIRANDA LIKEMAN*
Renowned
television
documentarian
Louis Theroux
acknowledges
this. “For
publicity
purposes
everything gets
simplified and
the fact that I
wear glasses and
am somewhat
bookish makes
me a geek,” he
says. “That’s
fine; there
needs to be a
shorthand.”
…plus a bit of cash
Milena Cavicchioli, vice president of marketing
for the Milan-based eyewear giant Luxottica
told the LA Times that because people look to
celebrities to see what the latest trends are,
“their wearing frames is a huge support
and endorsement.”
Add to that the fact that eyewear is a lucrative
business and celebrities like money and it’s a
match made in heaven.
According to the UK Telegraph, the estimated
worth of the global market (which includes
frames, contact lenses and sunglasses) is
US$90 billion ($125 billion) and projected to
reach US$140 billion ($194 billion) by 2020.
The premium fashion segment is occupied by
a handful of firms, the biggest being Luxottica,
who registered an 18% increase in profit in 2014
after generating more than €7.6 billion ($12
billion) in revenue.
Fashion comes full circle
Louis Theroux: glasses aid his celebrity
personality
In a twist no one could have predicted, current
trends hark back to the uncool, retro styles of
former decades, with thick frames and larger
lenses. Much to their chagrin, the reason for
this is the hipster – originally embracing ‘ugly’
glasses as an important part of expressing their
identity. But as is inevitable in fashion, the look
of those who buck trends is quickly emulated by
the masses, making classic thick black frames the
forefront of popular culture.
All of this begs the question: what happens if
Kate Winslett sporting the black-frame retro look
or when the fashion of wearing glasses goes
out of style? This is unlikely now technology
and optometry are intrinsically linked; the
majority of us staring at screens for long
periods; plus an aging, though still fashionconscious,
population.
There will always be a need for prescription
lenses for one reason or another, no doubt
ensuring that glasses, and the increasing number
of celebrity-backed ranges (think
Kylie), will remain in popular culture for a long,
long time. ▀
CREDIT: @BAFTA
*Miranda Likeman has
commented on style and the
stylish as a fashion journalist
for 15 years, including seven
years running a successful
designer clothing and
accessories PR agency in
New Zealand.
Fashion update
Marni
Italian brand Marni launched its first eyewear
collection at the Milan fashion week 2016 and is
now available for the first time in New Zealand.
The collection includes prescription frames and
sunglasses. In true Marni spirit, all models offer a
strong design and play with contrasting colours and
materials. Featured here is model ME2613_414 in blue.
The collection will be on display at ODMA17 and is
distributed by VSP Australia (formerly General Optical).
Oliviero Contini
Stars and their eyes … Larry King
The iconic talk-show host was the
face of Larry King Live on CNN for
25 years, and it was consistently
the network’s most-watched show. In
2009, a year before his retirement from
the talk-show, King underwent cataract
surgery. He was 75.
Caught out with his seventh wife,
former singer Shawn Southwick, at the
Boa Steakhouse in West Hollywood,
wearing a patch over his left eye
following the surgery, King joked he was
auditioning for the new Pirates of the
Caribbean movie.
A few years later, King hosted an
episode of documentary series
‘In View’ on Fox, which witnessed a
Tennessee eye surgeon performing laser
cataract surgery. ▀
Phone 0800 750 750 or Fax 09 282 4148
info@eyesurgeryassociates.co.nz or
Dr Patel at: patel@glaucoma.co.nz
Blackfin
www.eyesurgeryassociates.co.nz
Jono Hennessy
Oliviero Contini’s new collection flaunts a
vintage style with a modern appeal, says the
company adding, the collection is elegant with
clean lines for him and extravagant touches and
fine details for her. The men’s frames are typically square or a roundeddesign
using a mix of materials like titanium and acetates. The OV4250
model pictured here is designed with metal details at the front. It is available in
classic colours such as grey, black, blue and havana (cigar brown). Distributed by
BTP International Designz.
For more personalised eye care
talk to Dr Hussain Patel
Consultant Ophthalmologist
MBChB, MD, FRANZCO
Eye Surgery Associates are a Southern Cross Health Society Affiliated Provider
Jono Hennessy will be featuring new models at
ODMA17: one is the new FABO 8409 offering a
combination of delicate and heavy with a light
metal edge. “We wanted to do a modern take
on a traditional combination,” said the company.
Available in glossy “highland inspired moss” and
“heather tweed acetate”. Distributed by Phoenix
Eyewear.
Blackfin has released four new “Lamina Plus” acetate
and titanium frames; Lockeport BF803 and Jedway
BF804 featured here, the square-shaped Rockland
BF805 and the rounder Roseway BF810. The Jedway
has longer temples; 150mm to 160mm compared to
the standard 135mm to 145mm. Available in a range
of colour options from conservative grey and black to
bright red. Distributed by Beni Vision. ▀
SERVICES INCLUDE:
Glaucoma Specialist / Refractive Cataract Surgery
General Ophthalmology / Acute & Emergency Eye Care
Clinics on the North Shore, Central
and South Auckland
20 NEW ZEALAND OPTICS July 2017

Testing times…
how short is too short?
by
Chalkeyes
What is the ideal duration for an eye
examination? How much of the eye
examination can be delegated to
other staff members? How can practice owners
maximise their income while still respecting
the clinical expertise of the optometrist and
allowing them to perform a thorough clinical
examination?
Chalkeyes has been mulling over these
controversial and oft discussed conundrums and
has undertaken a little bit of undercover research
among colleagues. After speaking with more than
40 practices from across the country, the average
examination time was found to be approximately
40 minutes; the shortest 20 minutes and the
longest 60 minutes. Generally speaking, the
shorter eye exam cost less and the longer eye
exams cost more, but this was not always the
case; one practice charged $90 for a 20-minute
eye examination!
Some practices delegate tests such as
lensometry, visual fields, retinal photos,
auto-refraction, non-contact tonometry,
auto-keratometry and even ocular coherence
tomography (OCT) to support staff. Support staff
receive training varying from months to just a
few hours, which got me thinking. With all the
technology we now have available and with
optometric instruments becoming increasingly
Which brings me to
the elephant in the room –
does reducing eye exam
time mean the clinician
is more likely to make a
clinical error or miss an
ocular pathology?
accurate and user-friendly – shouldn’t we be
empowering support staff by delegating as much
of the data collection as possible? This can freeup
time to spend with the patient on more skilled
aspects such as eye health assessment, analysis
and consultation.
Having worked in a number of practices in a few
different countries, my eye exam durations have
differed considerably. I’ve performed eye exams in
20 minutes, where patient chitchat had to been
kept to a bare minimum (a personal challenge for
me!) and others in high-end practices where I had
a full hour to complete my tests and fully discuss
recommendations with a patient. I have worked
in practices where many tests were carried out by
support staff and others where I completed each
pain-staking, long, threshold field test. I have
worked with clinicians who move between two
rooms and have their support staff work-up each
patient, completing pre-tests including visual
acuities, histories, stereopsis and colour vision.
The clinician would then spend 15 minutes with
the patient, checking their ocular health and
summarising their management options.
What do Kiwi practice guidelines say? The
Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Board
(ODOB) which governs the clinical standards for
optometrists in New Zealand does not give any
recommendations for eye exam durations. The
‘Standards of Clinical Competence Guidelines
1.6’, however, states the optometrist must
‘schedule patient appointments according to
the time required’ and they must complete the
following tasks; patient history, examination
of eye and visual system, assessment of central
and peripheral vision and the visual pathway,
refraction, assessment of binocular vision and
visual information processing. In addition to this
a therapeutically-qualified optometrist must
ascertain which prescribed medication, if any,
will be most effective for treating any conditions
diagnosed. Phew! That seems like a lot to
complete in an hour, let alone 20 minutes.
Shorter-eye exams can be a challenge for
some clinicians to complete, especially with
a patient who is challenging to communicate
with. I’m thinking ‘Mr Nervous’ who asks lots of
questions and requires constant reassurance or
‘Mrs Verbose’ who wants to tell you all about her
hobbies and her grandkids. Shorter eye exams
can also be a challenge when a complex patient
presents with multiple ocular pathologies.
Which brings me to the elephant in the room –
does reducing eye exam time mean the clinician
is more likely to make a clinical error or miss an
ocular pathology?
There is a risk that an optometrist who is
pushed for time could make an error and miss
a vision-threatening or even life-threatening
condition. There have been instances in the past
of optometrists
having to
apologise for not
completing the
required tests on
patients and, the
ultimate failure,
of patients losing
vision due to
optometrist error.
In the UK last
year, there was
the appalling and
unprecedented
case of an
optometrist being
found guilty of
manslaughter by
gross negligence
after allegedly
failing to spot
what the
prosecution called “obvious” signs of a lethal
build-up of fluid on a young boy’s brain. News
that shocked optometrists around the globe, but
we don’t know if eye examination duration was
a factor in this or any other cases that hit the
media spotlight, unfortunately.
Engaging in some further, ahem, research,
Chalkeyes was down the pub recently with an
independent practice owner who said, “…Support
staff delegation has a key role in today’s practice.
Shorter eye exams keep me on my toes and help
keep my staff interested. I can always rebook
further checks or tests later if need be.” However,
another optometrist buddy said, “It’s important
to have enough time to really get to know the
patient and develop trust. The patient needs to
trust you to tell you what you need to know in
order for you to do your job well.’’
Both valid viewpoints in Chalkeyes’ mind.
We must allow adequate time with the
patient so all the essential clinical tests can be
performed and the optometrist can review the
results and present their recommendations to
the patient. But if some of the data collection is
done prior to the examination, the optometrist
can spend more time reviewing and analysing
the clinical information, rather than collecting
it and, importantly, develop a greater rapport
with the patient. In Chalkeyes’ mind these longduration
eye examinations are only necessary
if the optometrists are carrying out all the data
collection themselves. As a practitioner, I find
that extra time is less important for performing
clinical tests and more important for history
taking to tease out important information from
the patient (especially where therapeutics are
concerned) and to discuss treatment and educate
the patient at the end of the exam.
Support staff-delegation and using the latest
technology has a convincing place in today’s
practice. That said, I am not suggesting we train
our technicians to do refraction and histories, but
let’s embrace technology and train up our staff to
use some instruments such as field testers and
retinal cameras. They will love learning an extra
skill and we will be able to spend more time with
the patient discussing the all-important results.
So what’s the ideal eye exam duration?
Well from experience and from talking to
others, this Chalkeyes has come to the conclusion
that shorter is not always worse. With an efficient
patient journey, the effective use of technology
and together with some well-trained support
staff, a standard adult eye examination can be
conducted in around 30 minutes, anything longer
could be unnecessary and under half-an-hour
eats into valuable rapport-building time, and
Chalkeyes does love a good chinwag! ▀
The views expressed by Chalkeyes are his, or
hers, alone and not necessarily the views of NZ
Optics . If you wish to comment on Chalkeyes’
views, please email a brief letter to the editor at
info@nzoptics.co.nz for consideration.
July 2017
NEW ZEALAND OPTICS
21

Auckland Eye: May Insights
A working holiday
Erin Tan, Helen Heyns and Dr Yvonne Ng Alastair Kyle, Claire McDonald and Peter Stoute James Park and Dr Archie McGeorge
Dr Stephen Best welcomed the
pre-dominantly shore-based
crowd of optometrists to Auckland
Eye’s second Insight seminar, held at the
company’s new North Shore premises
in Takapuna on 16 May, while Drs Dean
Corbett and Archie McGeorge were the
evening’s presenters.
ERM and floater problems
Dr McGeorge kicked-off the seminar
with a talk on epiretinal membranes
(ERMs or macular pucker) and associated
issues like flashes and floaters. Most
flashes and floaters aren’t a problem, he
said, however, they could be symptoms
of something more serious, like a torn
retina. Optometrists need to be able to
distinguish between harmless ones and
those indicating an underlying condition.
Patients experiencing flashes and floaters
in combination with a new horse-shoe
retinal tear or vitreous haemorrhage need
to been seen urgently. Non-symptomatic
cases, with occurrences of atrophic retinal
holes (often associated with lattice
degeneration) should be referred, but are
less urgent.
Similarly, ERMs often don’t require
treatment, only causing problems when
they’re either too thick or too contracted.
When mild, with little or no effect on the
patient’s vision, Dr McGeorge recommended
Dr Alison Pereira, Janice Yeoman, Jaymie Rogers and Tracy Thompson
checking the patient every three to four
months. In more severe cases, ERM surgery
may be necessary to remove the membrane
to tackle vision loss. Optometrists shouldn’t
wait too long to treat ERM, however, as
vision lost can’t be fully restored, he said.
Post-ERM surgery, vision is often blurred
and it can take two to three weeks to regain
pre-op vision as the tissue recovers. Vision
can sometimes continue to improve over
months, up to a year after surgery.
Laser and lens options
Dr Dean Corbett’s sometimes amusing
presentation encouraged optometrists to
keep their cool and their humour in clinical
situations. He showed two videos – one of
a guy who could almost pop his eyeballs
and an intriguing game of football where
all the players were kitted out with a pair of
binoculars as their only form of vision.
As for lens options in lens replacement
surgery (a better term than cataract
surgery), he discussed several new
technologies, including the Tecnis Symfony
extended depth-of-focus intraocular
lens (IOL); IC-8 small aperture IOL, a new
class of optics useful for highly-aberrated
corneas; and the Harmoni two-part
modular IOL from Clarivista Medical,
a first-of-its-kind lens still undergoing
feasibility trials. Having seen too many
cases where patients opted for multifocal
Dr Dean Corbett and David Haydon
lenses and ended up with night vision
trouble and halo effects, he also said he
was now an advocate for monofocal or
EDOF (such as Symfony) lenses.
SMILE (small incision lenticule extraction)
is Auckland Eye’s preferred laser procedure
for vision correction surgery, with nearly
100% of patients opting for it and less than
1% needing a second procedure. The real
beauty of the procedure, said Dr Corbett, is
it keeps the cornea near intact.
Dr Corbett also touched on a trial
Auckland Eye is currently running on MIGS
(minimally invasive glaucoma surgery) with
a zero-complication rate to date.
CPAC to monovision
Some time was also devoted to the new
Clinical Priority Assessment Criteria (CPAC)
tools and their advantages for optometrists
(see story in NZ Optics’ June issue). Dr
Corbett is chair of the CPAC Steering Group.
Claire McDonald from McDonald Adams
Optometrists, said she finds the tools quite
useful for assessing a patient’s condition
and helping them form a more realistic
expectation of what can be done.
Closing the seminar, Dr Corbett invited
Grant Dabb from Orewa Optics to talk about
his experience of monovision laser surgery.
Dabb said it’s the best vision he has ever
had. But both pointed out the importance
of conducting a proper trial with contact
lenses before going ahead with monovision
surgery. The optometrist has a crucial role to
play in this, said Dr Corbett.
Dr Stephen Best ended the evening with
a raffle rewarding two lucky guests with a
bottle of wine and an annual subscription
for NZ Optics!
Next Insight
Auckland Eye’s next educational event
will be at Orakei Bay, 231 Orakei Road,
Remuera on 17 October from 5.30-9pm. ▀
“A special place.” Niall McCormack at the Ugandan orphanage
Hawke’s Bay optometrist Niall
McCormack hit the headlines
in his local paper last month
for spending two weeks of his holiday
providing eye care to kids in Africa.
The director of Specsavers Hastings,
says people keep telling him it must
have been so rewarding, but he says
he feels like he’s the lucky one to
have had the opportunity to work
with these kids. “I honestly don’t
know why more professionals don’t
do this sort of thing because it’s just
so cool…. It’s so safe in New Zealand,
we’re so oblivious to what goes on
in these places, it’s a real eye opener,
which is the most rewarding thing. It
just gives me a good grounding. It’s a
great experience.”
As well as checking their eyes,
McCormack says he talked to the
children, and the adults who cared
for them, about eye health and
looking after their eyes, something
he’s familiar with through his work
in the paediatrics unit of the Hawke’s
Bay Hospital and through his own
practice. “Kids’ vision has been a
particular interest of mine over the
years, so it was really cool to be able
to have a kid-themed visit to Africa.”
It was so rewarding that
McCormack says he’s now in the
very early stages of establishing
a charity and collaborating with
a local ophthalmologist to bring
eye care to a much wider group of
children through a more structured
programme. “We’re just in the
early process of seeing how we can
manage things and if we can work
something out to make it a little
more doable on a slightly bigger
scale. In Uganda, for example, there
are 200 orphanages.”
McCormack is no stranger to
volunteering overseas having visited
several places in the Pacific with the
Fred Hollows Foundation. It was this
work that led to a customer asking
him if he’d visit the orphanage
him and his wife had established
in Uganda nearly 18 years ago.
Then, another acquaintance asked
if McCormack would also visit the
children of a Kenyan primary school
on the same visit.
In total, McCormack tested 260
children and 19 adults at the Kenyan
primary school and the Ugandan
orphanage. Though most of it
was a real pleasure, he says, there
was one tough moment when he
discovered one child with cataracts
at the Kenyan primary school, but
was unable to help due to the lack
of support from the child’s parents
and no links with ophthalmologists
on the ground. McCormack says he’s
still hoping to help the child once
he establishes the charity and some
more formal relationships with
ophthalmologists in the region.
If anyone is interested in being
involved and genuinely sharing their
expertise by helping children in
Africa, and aren’t looking for a free
holiday, McCormack says he’d love
to hear from you at niallmc@xnet.
co.nz. ▀
MORE CLASSIFIEDS ON PAGE 24
NEED TO REPLACE YOUR
LETTER CHART?
AUCKLAND PRACTICE FOR SALE
Want to own your own practice or perhaps add another to your
expanding empire?
Due to recent health challenges expressions of interest are
sought helping an old man retire after 37 years of practice in East
Auckland.
Computerized practice management with extensive database and
easy access premises with off-street parking. All equipment and
stock required is at hand. Lease as required
Could be run on a part-time basis if necessary.
Flexible take-over.
To discuss this great opportunity, enquire in confidence in the first
incidence by email to c.earnshaw@gmail.com
Naomi Meltzer BSc, Dip Opt, PostGrad.Dip.Rehab.
Low Vision Optometrist
Ph: (09) 520 5208
0800 555 546
Fax: (09) 520 5515
PO Box 28486
Auckland 1541
info@lowvsionservices.nz
www.lowvisionservices.nz
low vision
services
Low Vision Consultations available at
REMUERA, TAKAPUNA, MANUKAU and PUKEKOHE
An Optometrist dedicated to Low Vision support.
DISPENSING OPTICIAN /
OPTICAL ASSISTANT
We are looking for a motivated and energetic dispensing Optician
or experienced Optical assistant who has exceptional customer
service and sales skills and is committed to upholding our practice
philosophy of developing and maintaining long-term customer
relationships. We are a well-established, busy and successful
independent optometry practice in Wellingotn's CBD.
The successful applicant will:
• Display exceptional customer service skills and be committed
to providing excellent patient care
• Have excellent communication skills
• Have confidence in selling high-end products and have
a proven sales record
• Be motivated, willing to learn and committed to ongoing
learning
• Be well presented and have an eye for fashion
• Be competent in technical side of fitting lenses and fixing
frames and have a passion for technology
• An ability to glaze would be an asset however training
can be given
• Be versatile, friendly and a team player
A dispensing qualification is preferred but we will consider
applicants who are still in training or those who have a strong
retail, sales and customer service background with previous optical
experience and an understanding of spectacle lens designs and
fitting eyewear.
This is a full-time position (Monday-Friday).
If this sounds like you please send your CV with covering letter
to vanessa.sercombe@opticians.co.nz Alternatively you can call
Vanessa on 021 132 6789 if you have further questions.
AcuityKit has a comprehensive range of digital eyecharts for eyecare
professionals. Ideal for low vision and domiciliary work.
Visit our website www.acuitykit.com or email john@acuitkit.com
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS –
CALLING ALL OPTOMETRISTS
OpticsNZ is currently engaged to recruit 17 Optometrist for
vacancies across the North Island and seven across the South
Island, in both independent and corporate practices.
If you are looking to purchase a practice (or a shareholding
within a practice) we have a wide range of options to discuss and
present, from all corners of the country.
If you are a locum (or considering setting up as a locum), currently
we could keep four to five Optometrists busy year round. We have
an unlimited level of work available, right now.
To discuss any of these opportunities, please call Stu Allan on
(03) 5466 996 or 027 436 9091 or email stu@opticsnz.co.nz
DISPENSING OPTICIAN
WELLINGTON CBD
CapitalEyes Optometrists require a
Dispensing Optician for our city practice.
We work as a team to provide high
quality eyecare, eyewear and customer service. We consider our
dispenser as an integral part of the team.
This role also includes frame stock purchasing and has the
potential for manangment responsibilities to the right applicant.
So if you’re ready for the next step up in your career, then this is
the role for you.
For more info contact Kevin O’Connor on 027 4993451 or email
kevin@capitaleyes.co.nz
All applications treated in strict confidence.
22 NEW ZEALAND OPTICS July 2017

YOUR CAREER,
NO LIMITS
ASK US
ABOUT OUR
$150K+ FIFO
PACKAGES!
NEW PACKAGES AVAILABLE WITH MARKET-LEADING SALARY
With Specsavers New Zealand continuing to grow, our store partners are looking to add to their optometry teams – and can
offer an exceptional, fast-paced working environment with great rates of pay and a clinical support team without peer.
If you are looking to elevate your clinical experience, it’s time we talked about the range of opportunities available to you.
Since launching our first practices in the market in 2008, our New Zealand store
network has expanded to more than 50 stores, with annual sales of over $120 million
recorded last year.
With a growing volume of patients in every clinic, we invest in a great range of ophthalmic
equipment – with a visual fields machine in every store and digital retinal photography
performed on every patient. Combined with a deep commitment to professional
development for our entire professional team, we believe there is no better place to
enhance your clinical knowledge and accelerate your career.
We have a variety of options available, including regular locum roles with your choice
of locations, 40-hour week fly-in fly-out (FIFO) opportunities where accommodation
is provided, as well as permanent positions. We also have opportunities for graduate
optometrists and a structured program that can lead you to partnership if you believe
you’re ready for store ownership.
All these options come with the backing of well-trained in-store clinical support teams
and store partners, who will work with you every step of the way to help you achieve
your career goals – whatever they may be.
Call and ask about our $150,000+ FIFO package and special Wellington and Christchurch opportunities today.
Contact Chanelle Coates on 0800 717 350 or chanelle.coates@specsavers.com
VIEW ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE ON SPECTRUM-ANZ.COM
Voted by New Zealanders
Reader’s Digest
Quality Service
Award
2017
Best Customer
Service in NZ
Optometry
2017
Millward Brown
Research
No.1 for eye tests
2016
Excellence in
Marketing
Award
2016
Retail
Store Design
Award
2016
Retail
Employer
of the Year
2015
Overall
National
Supreme Winner
2015
Franchise
Innovation
Award
2015
NZ Franchise
System of
the Year
2014
Retail
Innovator
of the Year
2014
FCA Social
Responsibility
Award
2014
July 2017
NEW ZEALAND OPTICS
23

MORE CLASSIFIEDS ON PAGE 26
OPTICAL TECHNICIAN/DISPENSER
AUCKLAND
Shamir Australia Pty Ltd is currently looking for an Optical
Technician/Dispenser to set up and manage a new Customer
Service and fitting office in Auckland. This is a great opportunity
for a highly motivated and enthusiastic Optical Technician/
Dispenser which incorporates edging and fitting, customer
service duties and freight responsibilities.
OPTICAL SALES CONSULTANT
AUCKLAND
Reporting to the National Sales Manager, you will be responsible
for sales with the aim of raising awareness of the Shamir brand in
New Zealand and converting potential interest into credible sales.
You will manage your own diary, spending much of your time out
on the road visiting Optical Practices, industry events and
conferences etc.
Previous optical background (preferably a qualified Dispenser)
and sales experience in the ophthalmic lens industry is essential
To apply for a position, please email your cover letter and resume
attention to The National Sales Manager at
info@shamirlens.com.au
EXPERIENCED LOCUM AVAILABLE
Therapeutically qualified.
Auckland or other regions by negotiation. Please contact Mellissa
Teh on 021 1571136 or hetassillem@gmail.com
NZ OPTICAL FRANCHISEE –
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
OpticsNZ is excited to present this UK based (Optom owned)
franchise opportunity.
This online business already has 10 years experience serving direct
customers. The area is NZ and includes first rights to the Australian
market
The suitable franchisee will ideally be from the optical industry, but
this is not mandatory. You will need to have good systems, lots of
drive, good general business knowledge and a desire to succeed.
If you have effective marketing and social media skills as well as
some industry knowledge (especially lenses) you will be well suited.
This opportunity has a low entry level cost and has unlimited
potential. This business is likely to commence part-time and grow
into a full-time role. The initial agreement will be for a three-year
term.
Expressions of interest are welcome from individuals, existing
practice owners or wholesale operations in writing to Stuart Allan
at OpticsNZ, PO Box 1300, Nelson or via stu@opticsnz.co.nz by 5
pm Wednesday 19 July 2017. Phone enquiries are welcome on (03)
5466 996 or 027 436 9091 .
PART-TIME OPTOMETRIST WANTED
SILVERDALE
OPSM Optometrists in Silverdale is a privately owned (franchise)
practice/store with a supportive and experienced team. We are
seeking a caring optometrist to join our friendly team and work
around 18 hours per week (including Sundays) or alternatively to
just do Sundays (10am to 5 pm).
Competitive salary package and generous product allowances
for the right candidate.
To apply, please email your CV and cover letter to
tracy.kendall-jones@opsm.co.nz
All applications will be treated with the utmost confidentiality.
DISPENSING/OPTICAL ASSISTANT
CHRISTCHURCH
If you are confident, strive for excellence, have experience in
dispensing, great at multitasking, enjoy working with children,
then this is your opportunity to build on your skills and join a busy
practice Christchurch. No weekend work, no late nights. Full-time
position.
Please send your CV and expression of interest to
leza@anstice.co.nz
CHOOSE YOUR
AUSSIE ADVENTURE
At OPSM, we are passionate about opening eyes to
the unseen. Our advanced technology enables us to look
deeper to ensure we give the best care to every customer.
OPTOMETRISTS
QUEENSLAND & NORTHERN TERRITORY
WITH ATTRACTIVE SALARY PACKAGES
We are looking for Optometrists who share our passion
and want to make a difference to how people see the
world. Whether you like the city, the surf or the outback,
we’ve got the role for you with our teams in:
• Bundaberg
• Cairns
• Darwin
• Katherine
• Mackay
• Mt Isa
• Toowoomba
• Townsville
JOIN OUR TEAM
You can look to take on a fixed period role or even
consider a more permanent move – who knows,
you might fall in love with the place. Depending on
the location, salary packages up to 175K including
superannuation, accommodation, annual return
flights to visit family and friends and relocation
support for the right candidate. Start your journey
with us today! Graduates or recent graduates
are very welcome to apply.
CONTACT:
Brendan Philp
brendan.philp@luxottica.com.au or call +61 418 845 197
Kim Shepherd
kim.shepherd@opsm.com.au or call +61 408 763 575
OPSM.COM.AU/CAREERS
WE SEE YOUR
FUTURE WITH US
At OPSM, we are passionate about opening eyes to
the unseen. Our advanced technology enables us to look
deeper to ensure we give the best care to every customer.
OPTOMETRISTS
NORTH & SOUTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND
Our New Zealand business is looking for passionate
Optometrists to join the team.
• Whangarei, Northland
• Bayfair, Tauranga
• Thames, Thames-Coromandel
• The Plaza, Palmerston North
• Napier/Hastings, Hawkes Bay
• Willis St, Wellington
• Queensgate, Wellington
• Merivale, Christchurch
• The Crossings, Christchurch
• Dunedin, Otago
• Wellington float, Wellington Region
When you join OPSM, you work within a team who
are committed to providing the best possible eyecare
solution with exceptional customer service. You will work
with world class technology including our exclusive
Optos Daytona ultrawide digital retina scanner. You
will have many opportunities for continuing professional
development and can enjoy career flexibility through
our extensive store network. You can also make a
real difference in the way people see the world by
participating in our OneSight outreach program.
JOIN OUR TEAM
Start your journey with us today!
Recent graduates are very welcome to apply.
CONTACT:
Hirdesh Nair
hirdesh.nair@opsm.co.nz or call +64 21 523 282
OPSM.CO.NZ/CAREERS
M
Y
Y
Y
LX21_OPSM_NZOpticsAU_Advert_2.indd 1
21/3/17 11:14 am
Thinking of selling your practice - we have buyers
Considering buying - we’ll give you all the options
OpticsNZ specialises in optometry practice sales,
we've helped dozens of Optometrists buy and sell their practices
For more information contact Stuart Allan on: 03 546 6996
027 436 9091 stu@opticsnz.co.nz www.opticsnz.co.nz
• Locum Service
• Recruitment Services
• Practice Brokering
• Business Consultants
24 NEW ZEALAND OPTICS July 2017