Dec 2016

SPECIAL FEATURE: VISIONZ AND ADONZ 2016
ADONZ 2016
The ADONZ
Annual
Conference
was a great success
with a raft of varied
and interesting
lectures. With the
NZOWA trade fair
held alongside
our weekend, we
enjoyed the best of
both stimulating
educational
presentations and
products and services
that enhance our
industry. Over the
past few years we
have valued the
lectures provided by
the Association of
British Dispensing
Opticians (ABDO)
and it was especially
BY PEGGY SAVAGE, ADONZ PRESIDENT
ADONZ president Peggy Savage and speaker Julien
Porte from Morel France
pleasing to have the International Opticians Association (IOA)
convention delegates attend our conference.
Our AGM was held on the Friday. My presidency was extended
for a further year; Donald Crichton will continue as vice president;
while the executive consists of Vineet Chauhan, Lynette Hunter,
Lucie Single and Andy Willmott. It was a little disappointing that
AGM attendee numbers were down slightly this year, however,
the executive is very excited about our future and the education
requirements, along with ensuring we keep pace with an ever
changing industry.
ADONZ is open to suggestion for the proposed David Wilson
memorial trophy/award. He was sorely missed at conference,
however we were greatly appreciative that Jan came to our Gala
Dinner, which was an evening shared with the NZOWA and a
great success. It appears the older DOs have a learned stamina for
dancing the night away compared to the young’uns who have yet
to hone this skill!
See you next year.
ADONZ 2016 National Conference
– “All things Kiwi”
The Association of Dispensing
Opticians of New Zealand (ADONZ)
held their 2016 national conference
at the Ellerslie Events Centre. The
conference opened to the resonance of Poi
E, a quintessential Kiwi song that summed
up the conference theme ‘All things Kiwi’.
In a New Zealand Herald poll in 2014 we,
as Kiwis, identified ourselves as friendly,
having a can-do attitude, and being
laid-back. These three great traits were
personified in the wonderful conference
delegates of ADONZ 2016. Ellerslie was
buzzing with colleagues meeting, friends
reuniting, stimulating discussion, and
a fabulous trade-show with an array of
frame, lens and instrument companies
represented. This was the backdrop for a
variety of great speakers to inform, inspire
and entertain the delegates. It was an
honour, as an optometrist, to be a part of
the ADONZ conference as both a speaker
and delegate.
Stephen Caunter, the business training
manager of ANZ Bank, was first to the bat
discussing how customer complaints can
improve business. He gave a comprehensive
and highly entertaining presentation
with practical examples of dealing with
unsatisfied customers. We were then off
for a quick trip around the ‘globe’ with
the lovely tour guide, Elaine Grisdale.
Elaine is the current head of professional
services and international development
at the Association of British Dispensing
Opticians (ABDO). The anatomy overview
was informative and well-linked to day-today
situations that dispensing optician’s
encounter.
The next speakers covered the full range
of ages and appealed to them all, much
like Country Calendar. Dispensing tips were
given for challenging paediatric patients
as well as problem solving in multi-focal
wearers. I had the privilege of presenting on
paediatric visual impairment in Aotearoa,
a topic close to my heart. Nicola Peaper,
the professional services manager of
Rodenstock Australia, spoke on maximising
multifocals for distance and near. Through
her presentation Nicola took us back to
some of the basics of dispensing including
appropriate measurements and the impact
these have on the final lens design.
After a day of learning we were put to
the test with an evening of nibbles and
wine tasting, New Zealand wine of course,
with winners receiving prizes from the
conferences sponsors. It was a wonderful
cocktail party that caused the Bachelor NZ
to pale in comparison.
The next day began with the main
lecture hall being filled with the wonderful
presentation skills of Dr Trevor Gray, a
refractive-cataract surgery and corneal
surgery specialist. Trevor eloquently covered
the interesting topics of ‘cataracts – is there
now a cure’, ‘adenoviral conjunctivitis’ and
‘demodex and the eye’. All three topics
were discussed with much interest over the
BY SAMANTHA SIMPKIN*
ADONZ keynote speakers, ABDO’s Fiona Anderson, Barry Duncan and Elaine Grisdale
following delicious morning tea treats and
coffee. Running concurrently with Trevor’s
talk was a Paediatric Dispensing Workshop,
which I chose to attend. The workshop
was overseen by the multi-talented,
Fiona Anderson who is the current ABDO
president, a passionate dispensing optician
and a member of too many boards to begin
listing. Fiona’s excitement for educating
others was evident from the moment she
entered the room. Real-life cases were
presented with an ensuing small group
discussion, then feedback time to the session
as a whole. Many interesting prescriptions
were shown which stimulated dialogue
between colleagues. Fiona encouraged
taking the time to research challenging
cases, understand your clients, and learn
to say ‘no’ when needed, all to ensure our
patients get the best outcomes possible.
This session made me consider the multiple
options of dispensing for high prescriptions
and possible techniques to employ to
maximise visual and cosmetic results. It is
much like the All Blacks scoring a try, the
main goal is to get over the line, but if you
can make it look good you will have fans for
life, just ask Dan Carter and Julian Savea!
Staying in the sport theme, Dr Nicola
Anstice a senior lecturer in the School
of Optometry and Vision Science at the
University of Auckland, highlighted the
importance of outdoor time for children.
Nicola presented a thorough and concise
review of the extensive literature on myopia
control modalities and reiterated the
growing importance of this in optometric
practices as myopia continues to increase.
This was a timely reminder of the
importance of the right correction in myopia
control and the role dispensing opticians
play in communicating with the optometrist
and patient. From the wonderful New
Zealand accent of the local Dr Nicola Anstice
we moved to the lilting French accent
of Julien Porte, from Morel France, who
discussed frames. Julien took us through the
process of designing a frame, from the artist
to deciding material to final production.
He also took the time to review important
features of the different materials used for
frames, aspects we should be considering as
we select spectacles for our patients.
After lunch we came back to New
Zealand with a session on ‘Knowledge risk
management within an optometry practice’
by Vineet Chauhan and ‘Understanding and
responding to migrant health services in
New Zealand’ by Raj Singh. Following this
was one of my personal highlights of the
conference, three presentations from the
effervescent Carly Henley, an orthoptist
from Greenlane Clinical Centre. Carly wins
the prize for the most animated presenter
of the conference, her enthusiasm for her
work is contagious! Carly spoke on ‘Nobody
loves you when you are down and out’
(strabismus), ‘To see or not to see – that is
the question’ (amblyopia), and ‘practical
magic’ (prism). A trio to rival Sol3 Mio.
Next came L&P, Lindsey Pine, Optometrists
and Dispensing Opticians Board registrar,
who covered the important information
on practising legally and within scope. She
was followed by Essilor’s Gordon Stevenson
on the importance of prescription safety
eyewear, a hard topic with our ‘she’ll be
right’ Kiwi attitude. Gordon reminded us of
the incidence and preventability of a lot of
eye injuries. A review of correct dispensing
techniques of safety frames and lenses was
appropriate as the sun peaked through the
clouds and Summer began to feel close.
The venue and delegates transformed
into their gala dinner best for the Saturday
evening. The ball room was decked out with
Kiwiana; flax, paua, and the quintessential
buzzy-bee toy. It was a night of dancing,
dinner and drinks with of course some Dave
Dobbyn thrown in!
The delegates reassembled, more
quietly this time, for the final morning of
conference on Sunday. We were provided
with a morning of strabismus, Shaw lenses,
professionalism and the secret life of lenses.
These fascinating topics were covered by an
abundance of talent. Firstly, Dr Justin Mora,
a paediatric ophthalmologist who relished
showing videos of strabismus surgery and
articulate the complexities of strabismus.
Evan Brown, optometrist (TPA, FCOVD)
covered the intricacies of aniseikonic
corrections with Shaw lenses. Grant Dabb,
another optometrist (FACBO), illuminated
the amazing impact lenses have on function
including visual space, motor function and
perception.
The variety and range presented at this
conference was comparable to that Kiwi
icon, the Kiwi Burger, an interesting mix,
that results in all who try it being satisfied.
It was an absolute privilege to be able to
attend a dispensing optician conference
as an optometrist, it was an excellent
conference that comprised all the best
bits of being Kiwi. To all the organisers,
delegates and ADONZ, I would like to say
thank you and ka pai! ▀
Samantha Simkin and Anthony Simpson
* Samantha Simkin is a therapeutically-qualified
optometrist currently pursuing her PhD in the
Department of Ophthalmology at the University of
Auckland.
12 NEW ZEALAND OPTICS December 2016