From left:Jaymie Rogers, Bhav Solanki, Lisa Silva, Kathryn Sands
In July, a team of SOVS Professional Teaching Fellows, consisting of seven optometrists and our head dispensing optician, attended the O=MEGA conference in Melbourne for a fun and informative weekend of continued education.
Put on by Optometry Victoria /South Australia and the Optical Distributors and Manufacturers Association (ODMA), O=MEGA19 was the first conference of its name. It combined the annual Southern Regional Congress and biennial ODMA event to create the largest optometry conference in the Southern Hemisphere. The program was designed to meet the needs of optometrists at all stages of their careers, with separate classes specifically for optical dispensers.
Keynote speakers Dr Danica Marrelli (OD, FAAO), a Clinical Professor at the University of Houston College of Optometry, and Dr Jordan Keith (OD, FAAO), an Assistant Professor at the Illinois College of Optometry gave enlightening talks throughout the three day program. These included insights into glaucoma, diabetic eye disease, myopia control treatments and a fascinating look at some cases that helped shape their careers.
Keynote speaker Dr Jordon Keith’s discussion around myopia control treatment in children contained valuable reminders and information. It is important to do more than check prescriptions and the axial length of the eye; it is also necessary to consider the accuracy of a child’s focusing and the ocular alignment when reading, as these can also affect the rate at which myopia progresses. This was highlighted by Wanda Lam at the SOVS Clinician’s retreat held in September as important for all clinicians to remember when assessing young myopic patients in the clinic.