June 2017

SPECIAL FEATURE: ODMA 2017
educated by them. I hope the delegates will
come away with a good knowledge of many
peripheral technologies that are going to impact
upon their profession and in particular those
novel techniques and procedures that will be
undertaken by optometrists in the future and not
left to ophthalmologists.
Dr Rolando Toyos
Dr Rolando
Toyos is
medical
director and
founder of
the Toyos
Clinic in
Tennessee.
He
specialises
in cataract
surgery,
LASIK,
glaucoma
and dry
eye. He
developed
the use of Dr Rolando Toyos
intense
pulsed light (IPL) for the treatment of dry eye
conditions and was recently honoured with
the United Nations’ Innovation Award for
this achievement. Dr Toyos is also a sports
Device Technologies
ophthalmologist and the official eye doctor of
several professional baseball teams. His lecture
will cover the innovative use of IPL as a treatment
for dry eye disease and include tips on how to
incorporate the treatment in your practice.
What drew you into medicine and eye health?
I come from a long line of teachers and coaches
and I knew I wanted to teach. But I also had a love
of medicine and a curious mind. I fulfilled many
goals as a teacher and coach, but I still wanted
to become a surgeon. I started out at medical
school completing research in trauma surgery.
My research involved microsurgery on rats. Then
I observed a few eye surgeries in my third year
and I was hooked. Ophthalmology fulfils all my
passions: teaching, research, surgery, mastering
changing technology and, most of all, helping
people.
What are you most looking forward to at
ODMA17?
I enjoy interacting with physicians from different
countries and learning all their tricks. The
exchange of information in this way benefits our
patients. With the internet, you would think there
is a free flow of information around the world,
but when we are dealing with procedures and
surgery it is the little nuances that you can only
understand from a face-to-face conversation that
make the difference between success and failure.
[Plus] I’ve enjoyed bringing IPL to ophthalmology
and the adoption has been much better with my
attendance at international symposiums.
We invite you to come and see the latest Topcon instruments at our ODMA 2017 stand in Sydney.
The following ergonomic and highly time-saving devices are on display: CV-5000 Vision Tester; the
four-in-one TRK-2P kerato-refractometer and tono-pachymeter; the latest generation LED video slit
lamp; the Triton swept source OCT-A; and a full range of chairs and stands. Experience the Maestro
OCT, with its one-click wide scan and complete retinal information in a single report. It’s an easy
to use, reliable, affordable and space-saving combo-OCT (anterior scan and networking available).
Also on display will be Frey VA charts, offering great flexibility, durability and value, and the Captiv8
patient communication solution.
Mastering business
brilliance
ODMA17’s Masterclasses are a smorgasbord
of practical dispensing advice and the
latest industry insights to help improve
business function and strategy. Masterclass
speakers include Elaine Grisdale from the UK,
optometrist Leigh Plowman from Australia
and Steve Daras, the optical dispensing course
coordinator for Australia’s largest provider of
optical dispensing education and training TAFE
NSW (OTEN).
Grisdale and Plowman took time out from their
work to tell NZ Optics about why they do what
they do and what they are most looking forward
to from their time in Sydney.
Elaine Grisdale
Elaine Grisdale qualified as a dispensing optician
before spending 12 years in France as the
international professional relations manager
for opticianry & optometry for Essilor. Since
2007, she has headed professional services and
international development at the Association of
British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) developing
professional standards around the world. Grisdale
is also a member of the board of trustees of the
European Academy for Optometry and Optics,
the director of development of the International
Opticians’ Association (IOA), a liveryman with
the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers, a
fellow of the American Academy of Optometrists
and a member of Silmo’s scientific committee in
Paris.
What drew you to dispensing optics as a career?
I’d worn specs since I was six and contact lenses
from age 11 so I could play hockey at school.
The whole environment of an optical practice
appealed to me. It was clinical, it was people
facing and there was fashion and commerce
involved. My regular six-monthly check-ups and
holiday work over two years at my opticians
helped to
cement the
love I had for
practice life.
What do you
love about the
role that you
are in now?
I enjoy
lecturing and
interacting
with other
professionals.
I love this even
more because
my role
enables me
Elaine Grisdale
to do this in
many different
countries and with many different cultures. The
ABDO is very strong in Malaysia and India where
our programmes are taught. We also have very
good relations in China. I am currently learning
Mandarin to help me develop relations further.
The IOA role is a new one and one which I am
investing more and more time in. I feel that an
organisation which can bring optical associations
and individuals together to celebrate, and defend
and grow the profession globally, must be a good
thing.
What are you most excited about at ODMA?
This will be my first visit to ODMA and I am
honoured to speak. I am very excited to meet
fellow professionals and to exchange with them
during my sessions and the show. I am also
looking forward to seeing what’s new in this part
of the world by visiting the exhibitors – some
of whom, I’m sure, will be new to me. I’m also
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
Visit us at
ODMA2017
Sydney
ODMA Stand # DJ44
12 NEW ZEALAND OPTICS June 2017