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From left: John Phillips and Asik Pradhan

Acting Head of School Dr John Phillips and PhD student Safal Khanal recently attended the Inaugural All Nepal Optometry Conference held on October 5-6 at the Malla Hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal. As an invited keynote speaker of the conference, John provided an evidence-based summary of the ways to improve the efficacy of interventions to control myopia (short-sight) by combining optical and pharmacological treatments.

Safal gave a brief overview of his PhD project and introduced an MRI method for the measurement of blood perfusion in the eye. Safal was also a member of the scientific committee and a moderator for the session on ‘Ocular imaging and electrophysiology’ at the conference, which was well attended with keynote speakers from New Zealand, Hong Kong, Australia, and Pakistan, and over 300 national and international delegates.

This conference was organized by the Nepalese Association of Optometrists in celebration of 20 years of Optometry education in Nepal. At the conference, Robert F. Kinnear, who was a Senior Clinical Supervisor at SOVS for 30 years, was congratulated by Hon. Deputy Minister and Health Minister of Nepal, Upendra Yadav, for his longstanding support in the establishment and continual development of the Optometry course in Kathmandu. Established in collaboration with the SOVS back in 1998, the Optometry school in Nepal runs a 4-year bachelor’s degree in Optometry and has previously facilitated externship program for several exchange students from Auckland.