UPFRONT Just as Insight went to print, O=MEGA21 organisers cancelled the event scheduled for September 2-4 in Melbourne. “While there was a possibility that O=MEGA21 could be rescheduled in its original format, uncertainty around the ongoing spread of COVID-19 together with many people’s reluctance or inability to travel, meant postponing would have been an unwise decision,” ODMA chair Mr Robert Sparkes said. For optometrists relying on the event for their CPD requirements, Optometry
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Victoria South Australia announced the return of the Southern Regional Congress to take place virtually on the same dates. IN OTHER NEWS, well-known Australian optometrist Dr Tony Adams died on 16 July. Professor Konrad Pesudovs paid tribute to his mentor and the man he described as “Australia’s greatest optometrist”. He said Adams’s accomplishments were innumerable but include Dean of Optometry at University of California, Berkeley (1992–2001) and president of the American Academy of Optometry (1998–2000), among a host of awards. Adams obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Melbourne in 1962. He
went to Indiana University before joining Berkeley in 1968. FINALLY, triumphant tales of community-based trachoma programs in Western Australia have featured in a newly launched The West Australian Trachoma Storybook, highlighting the importance of primary prevention of the disease that predominantly affects Indigenous communities. The Public Health Advocacy Institute WA, part of Curtin University, produced the book led by the organisation’s Dr Melissa Stoneham. “Screening is critical but primary prevention is equally important and so the storybook showcases 13 of these initiatives across regional WA,” she said.
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The English football team has been charged by Europe’s governing body after a laser was shone on to the face of Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel in the Euro 2020 semifinal. Despite the disruption, he saved Harry Kane’s shot from the penalty spot, but the striker scored on the rebound.
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A tiger's eye has been saved in what is believed to be the first operation of its type in the world on a big cat. A hood graft procedure was performed on Ratna, a 17-year-old Sumatran tiger, at the UK’s Shepreth Wildlife Park, to treat a corneal ulcer. The eye had previously been operated on for a cataract.
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A UK surgeon removed 27 lost contact lenses from a woman's eye after spotting a “bluish mass” during a cataract work-up. The 67-year-old put the discomfort and dryness down to her age. She had been wearing monthly disposables for 35 years but didn't get her eyes checked regularly. n
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SCOPE-OF-PRACTICE It's not unusual for non-urgent patients to wait more than 300 days for their initial ophthalmology outpatient appointments in the public system – Optometry Australia. Full report page 44.
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The society has undertaken a wideranging digital transformation over the last six months to meet the demands for the virtual event this year.
The Australasian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons annual conference is set to host a worldclass line up of speakers in Noosa.
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