Over a hundred opticians and optometrists from across Europe gathered on the shores of Lake Geneva in Lausanne, Switzerland last month, to attend the first European Academy of Optometry and Optics. The Olympic Museum, set in the grounds of the International Olympic Committee Headquarters, provided an excellent venue; with the Alps as the backdrop to the lake, it beats the average conference location hands down.

Despite the beautiful surroundings the meeting got quickly down to business with Academy president Feike Grit explaining why the optical community needed a showcase for advances in optometry and optical research and development.

“This is an exciting time for optometry and optics in Europe,” he said. “Research is essential for the development of every profession and the launch of the Academy provides us with an unique opportunity to advance our profession, develop our scientific knowledge base, and support and promote lifelong learning for optometrists and opticians across Europe.”

Five years after the idea was first suggested at the European Council for Optometry and Optics (ECOO), the Academy launch continues the work of the Association of European Universities and Schools of Optometry
(AEUSCO).

The two-day programme was packed with interesting presentations. Keynote speaker Robert Harper, an optometrist consultant at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, took on the hot topic of the moment: ‘Glaucoma: challenges and opportunities for optometry’.

For British delegates, with the NICE guidelines at the forefront of their minds, Dr Harper reminded the audience that 50% of the world’s glaucoma goes undetected. He went onto describe the population explosion we are likely to experience over the next ten years due to an increase in life expectancy of 19 years for men and 23 years for women by 2020. Combined with increased detection and prevalence he pointed out that there will be a greater demand for glaucoma care which would present an opportunity for the optometric profession.

NICE guidelines                                                                                         "Optometry has done a good job and maybe one it hasn’t had full recognition for,” commented Dr Harper. He also touched on the concerns over the implementation of the new NICE guidelines in the UK, before ending on a morepositive note suggesting that the opportunities occurring in the UK will provide “better patient care and in the long-term a better framework for professionals.”

Elsewhere in the schedule, Frank Eperjesi, programme director for optometry at Aston University, entertained and enlightened delegates
on the potential for measurement of macula pigment density and the role of nutrition in protecting eyes againstm disease and deterioration in later life.

During the second day of the conference Josephine Mullin, director of education at the College of Optometrists, presented a keynote lecture on the UK scheme for registration. Rupal Lovell-Patel, a delegate from Anglia Ruskin University, followed this with a clear explanation of the intricacies and reliability of OSCE assessment (Objective Structured Clinical Evaluations) as a means of measuring clinical competence in optometry.

The British contingent of presenters were balanced by excellent speakers from across the EU.

Dutch optometrist Annemeike Coops analysed the results of automated diagnostic equipment. How often do we question the results we get from imagers or screeners in daily practice?

Size does matter
Ms Coops looked in detail at the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph, taking
images from over one hundred glaucoma patients and concluding that size does matter. Practitioners need to take disc dimensions into account when interpreting automatic and semi-automatic disc classification. Her research showed that large optic discs tend to produce false positives and that small optic discs need extra care as early glaucoma damage could be missed – a useful tip for interpreting HRT data.

A morning session was filled with practical tips for clinical optometry such as those from Daniela Nosch, a German optometrist practising in
Switzerland, who took delegates through the benefits of the latest
generation of silicon hydrogel lenses.

She stressed that it is paramount to address individual needs and patient expectations rather than just concentrating on physiological factors when it comes to contact lens fitting – the success of contact lens fitting relies on more than oxygen permeability alone.

Peter Gumpelmayer, the Austrian optometrist who trained at City
University, gave the event’s audience an insight into how he has established a state-funded low vision service in the regions of Upper Austria.

The ‘Four Pillar Model’ he described has been developed to create a system that supports and meets the needs of low vision patients
across northern Austria. After completing the training scheme of  six-day hands-on accreditation course and examinations optometrists can run the funded service in their own practices. The scheme provides a valuable and easily accessible service to the local community and currently optometrists are paid €72 for two hours of professional chair time and patient care. Mr Gumpelmayer hopes the initial results will allow for an increase in funding and a roll-out of the service to the rest of Austria.

Useful and productive
From the delegates’ point of view the first Academy meeting was a useful and productive one.

Brigitte Denis, a representative from the Professional Association of
Opticians and Optometrists in Belgium, reflected that optics in her country has less scope of practise than other European nations, particularly compared to the UK, and the profession is yet to become fully aware of the necessity of the detection of eye disease. She hoped that lecturers would be the first to come and benefit from the exchange of ideas, education and research that the new Academy will foster.

Zora Sarac, a delegate from the Association of Serbian Opticians and
Optometrists, also felt that education helps the countries where optometry is struggling to achieve recognition. With new legislation in Serbia bringing frames under ‘medical devices’, and legislation and limitations affecting practice size, she feels close to 70% of the profession in her country are threatened, making forums like the Academy even more valuable to gain knowledge and guidance.

To complete the meeting and add an additional opportunity for discussion, a poster session ran throughout the conference. Authors
such as Matjaž Mihelˇciˇc, from the Hochschule Aalen in Slovenia, working in conjunction with the New England College of Optometry in the United States, answered questions on their research. In Mr Mihelˇciˇc’s case he has been comparing pupil size and cognitive effects when reading, concluding that text content can influence near-point stress and perhaps be a factor in myopia progression.

If you’d like to see more of what you missed in Lausanne or catch announcements about next year’s event, visit www.eaoo.info.

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