Program

Saturday May 17

AEST

8:30am-9:00am

Movement and mindfulness Morning - On Demand
Acknowledgement of Country

 
 
 

9:00am-10:00am

 

Richard Johnson

Prescription for change: Expanding horizons from drops to pills in optometry

This presentation will begin by discussing the background to optometrists in New Zealand achieving prescribing rights to include oral medications.

We will present cases of ophthalmic conditions that require oral medications to optimally treat. We will then review the current evidence for oral medication treatments and discuss the potential scope of optometric management in these cases.

Learning Objectives:

  • Discuss the potential for expanded scope of optometric practice, including oral therapeutics.

 
 

10:00am-11:00am

CSL Seqirus

Dry Eye: Practical Guidance to Optimise Patient Outcomes

 

Stream 1

 

Stream 2

11:00am - 12:00pm

Michael Yapp

How to get the most out of your visual field analyser

Threshold visual field testing has been a large part of routine optometric practice for many years.  There has, however, over the last 5 years been significant developments in to assist with detection of and, in particular, the management of progressive field loss. This talk will give an overview of the different threshold testing options currently available  It will also use a case-based approach to assist practitioners with a range of clinical tips for community practice with regards to the selection of appropriate testing protocols as well as the manipulation and interpretation of results to best manage patients with field loss.

Learning Objectives:

  • Utilise and evaluate the different options currently available for threshold visual field testing.

  • Manipulate and interpret visual field data to detect progression.

  • Differentiate different causes of visual field loss.

 

Dr Cecelia Koetting

What’s really drying your eyes? The hidden role of systemic conditions and medications

Dry eye disease isn’t always just a local issue—it’s often a symptom of systemic conditions or medications impacting tear production and quality. This lecture will explore common systemic culprits such as autoimmune diseases, diabetes, and hormonal imbalances, alongside medications like antihistamines, antidepressants, and diuretics that exacerbate ocular dryness. Attendees will learn to identify these hidden factors, enhance patient care with tailored treatments, and educate patients on the systemic-ocular connection.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify systemic causes: Recognise systemic conditions and medications that contribute to dry eye disease, including autoimmune diseases, diabetes, and commonly prescribed pharmaceutical.

  • Enhance patient management: Develop strategies to address systemic contributors to dry eye through tailored treatment plans and patient education on the connection between systemic health and ocular surface disease.

 
 

Johnson & Johnson

Dr Giovanna Olivares

From ideation to innovation to transformation: Improving contact lens success for our most challenging patients

Exciting advancements in contact lens research and development have revolutionised the industry over the decades, resulting in enhanced solutions for diverse patients, including those facing unique tear film and visual challenges like presbyopia. The dedication of research and development teams, leveraging interdisciplinary collaboration, clinical trials, and ongoing feedback, highlights a steadfast commitment to meeting evolving patient needs and shaping the future of contact lens technology. Johnson & Johnson’s latest breakthrough—the ACUVUE® OASYS MAX family of contact lenses—exemplifies this innovation journey, showcasing cutting-edge technologies designed to elevate both comfort and vision like never before.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand how innovation has transformed the contact lens industry over the decades.

  • Understand how innovative technologies can address the unmet needs of the modern-day contact lens wearer.

  • Understand how to enhance patient outcomes and improve success rates with new innovations.

12:00pm-1:00pm

 

Bausch + Lomb

Simon Hanna

Supporting your dry eye patients with Bausch & Lomb’s Ultra® One Day contact lenses

Dry eye has historically been a contraindication for contact lens wear.  In the age of advance technology, Bausch & Lomb provide a unique combination of eye  health ingredients in its ComfortFeel Technology to ensure longer wear time and Advanced MoistureSeal® Technology for longer and more comfortable wear time.   Overviewing Bausch & Lomb’s contact lens technologies, Professional Services Manager Simon Hanna will look at how various clinical case studies require a customised approach and how Bausch and Lomb lenses can optimise patient outcomes based on individual visual and lifestyle requirements.

Learning Objectives:

  • To review Ultra One Day's proven technologies to support patients with Dry Eye to achieve Contact Lens wear.

  • To consider clinical case studies and how Ultra One Day can support patients with varied clinical presentations.

1:00pm-1:30pm

REFRESHMENT BREAK

 
 

1:30pm-2:30pm

Stream 1

 

Dr Angelica Ly

Never have I ever… hidden a digital diagnostic error from a patient

Optometry is evolving rapidly. Digital health tools are transforming patient care. However, with these advancements come important ethical considerations. What steps would you take after an AI aided diagnostic error? How would you handle a tele-optometry session if you judged it to be less effective than an in-person examination? What are your responsibilities as an optometrist to ensure your patients are making an informed decision about their evolving digital health options? This presentation will equip you with the knowledge to navigate these challenges effectively.

Learning Objectives: 

  • Describe the latest digital tools, including tele-optometry and AI-based diagnostics, reshaping optometry.

  • Apply key ethical principles, such as autonomy and beneficence, to the context of digital health in optometry.

  • Analyse real-life scenarios and ethical dilemmas to maintain high ethical standards in optometric practice

 

Stream 2

Tarli Sali and Michelle Wilcox

Healthy discussions and supported discussions

This session, delivered by the Office of the Public Advocate, aims to provide you with practical communication and engagement skills to increase your confidence in supporting patients with disability to make informed decisions.

The Healthy Discussions Project aims to improve communication between people with disability and health practitioners and is informed by the voices of people with lived experience of disability. This presentation includes an individual with disability sharing their personal journey and experiences with the optometry sector.

Learning Objectives:

  • Recognise the human rights of patients with disability in making decisions about their own health.

  • Gain skills and knowledge for using time, augmentative and alternative communication, and other supportive strategies when engaging and communicating with patients with disability to make decisions about their own health.

  • Understand the principles of supported decision-making, support and resources available to ensure quality person-centred care is provided.

  • Learn to make no assumptions!

2:30pm-3:30pm

Dr Anne Weymouth

Visual electrodiagnostics: Key concepts and applications

Visual electrophysiology is highly subspecialised yet is key to managing certain serious patient presentations. This session will cover how to identify patients requiring electrodiagnostic assessments, an overview of tests and their applications as well as how this discipline is complemented by other tests of visual function and imaging.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify those patients who require advanced diagnostic investigation including electrophysiology.

  • Discuss the role of clinical electrodiagnostics in the assessment of visual pathway pathologies.

  • Identify aspects of neurophysiology that are imperative to consider in day-to-day clinical practice and to understand appropriate referral pathways for patients requiring electrodiagnostic work-up.

 

Sponsored Session - Vision Eye Institute

Dr Christopher Go and Dr Nishan Ramachandran

Comprehensive OCT insights and triage strategies for retinal cases: From diagnosis to management

This session will include presentations by Drs Christopher Go & Nishan

Ramachandran and will cover common OCT findings in various retinal conditions and the appropriate referral/triage pathways, including referral urgency and therapeutic management as well as an update on diabetic retinopathy.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify and interpret common OCT findings in various retinal conditions.

  • Understand the referral pathways for optometrists based on OCT findings and retinal cases, distinguishing between urgent and non-urgent cases..

  • Update knowledge on diabetic retinopathy, including its progression, OCT findings, and the importance of early detection and monitoring.    

  • Implement appropriate therapeutic management strategies for different retinal conditions based on triage outcomes.

  • Apply comprehensive management strategies to ensure optimal patient care and outcomes in retinal cases.

3:30pm-4:30pm

Stream 1

Dr Colby Hart

Collaborative management of cataract, refractive laser and corneal transplant patients

The aim of this presentation is to familiarise optometrists with the common findings in patients who have recently undergone cataract surgery, laser refractive surgery and corneal transplantation. The aim is to achieve a level of comfort with diagnosing normal and abnormal findings in these patients, which should prompt referral onto an ophthalmologist or allow independent management. 

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify normal and abnormal findings in patients who have undergone cataract surgery, refractive laser and corneal transplantations.

  • Understand situations which can be independently managed and those which require referral back to an ophthalmologist.

 

Stream 2

Dr Bao Nguyen

Ocular changes during and after pregnancy

Pregnancy introduces a multitude of changes in the body, including hormonal fluctuations and metabolic changes. In this presentation, we will discuss the range of uncomplicated pregnancy-related effects on the eye and vision that are likely to present during routine eyecare.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify atypical ocular signs and symptoms in people who are pregnant.

  • Understand which ocular changes are short-lived or might extend past pregnancy.

4:30pm

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