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Falkirk DO erased from register A fitness to practise committee has erased Falkirk-based dispensing optician David McIntosh from the GOC register after his fitness to practise was found to be impaired by reason of misconduct.
This was in relation to McIntosh obtaining funds from his employer by conducting unauthorised and false refund transactions, which the committee said were inappropriate and dishonest actions.
The committee heard that McIntosh obtained £1,471 from his employer Specsavers on 12 separate occasions, with refunds ranging in value from £1 to £293.
These unauthorised and false refund transactions took place from June 2022 to May 2023 at a practice he worked at for eight years and was a store manager.
Beach clean-up at Optician event Attendees at Optician’s Eyes On Sustainability event next month (October 2) have been encouraged to join Waterhaul eyewear and Net Zero Eyecare for a beach clean-up.
On the evening before the event, a team of litter pickers will scour the pebbly beach of Brighton next to the i360 venue. Volunteers can sign up at shorturl.at/pwoWK.
Andrew Clark, founder of Net Zero Optics, said: ‘We’ll muster at 6pm on Tuesday, October 1, on the beach-side of the i360 – the venue for the Eyes on Sustainability
Beach clean conference the following day. Me and the Waterhaul team will briefly introduce our mission and litterpicking gear will be available, as we’ll then spend an hour or so combing Brighton beach for unwanted plastic.’
Scottish myopia study presented in China Hoya Vision Care will present new clinical evidence on its MiyoSmart spectacle lenses and results from a 2024 Scottish study at the International Myopia Conference in China on September 25-28.
Dr Hua Qi will present at the event on how to evaluate the optical performance of spectacles lenses with micro lens array.
An analysis of a five-year study in Scotland will be made by Dr Miriam Conway who will highlight the increased proportions of children with myopia post-Covid and the association between living in flats and myopia.
Sally Li, managing director of Hoya Vision Care China, said: ‘The research we will present at IMC 2024 demonstrates our ongoing commitment to raise awareness of myopia and mitigate its impact through action.’
CLOs given green light on new therapy A new therapy to treat inflammation and damage to the surface of the eye can now be issued by contact lens opticians (CLO).
The Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) has confirmed that CLOs will be covered under their existing professional indemnity insurance to prescribe NuVision’s Omnigen and OmniLenz.
The treatment options used dried placental tissue (amniotic membrane) that is applied to the eye’s surface and held in place using a bandage contact lens.
Amniotic membrane
ABDO said CLOs who undertook training provided by NuVision now had a new option to support patients with corneal damage and ocular surface disease.
Model students trained with model eye Huddersfield University optometry lecturers have published a study outlining how a model eye has been used to train students in the clinical skill of tonometry.
Lecturers, Kate Doorduyn, Rebekka Heitmar, Lauren Coetzee, in the department of optometry and vision sciences first began using the model as an instruction tool for tonometry during Covid-19.
The study highlighted that ‘the tonometry model eye was reported to be a useful experiential tool, facilitating a safe learning environment for students to develop the technical skills required to perform Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) before moving on to real-eye experiences.’
Due to the use of the model eye, 86% of students reported improvements in confidence
Model eye
4 OPTICIAN 27 September 2024
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