1: Deaf Awareness

Description:  As the population ages, practitioners will increasingly require the skills to communicate with people who are deaf or hard of hearing. This workshop will provide opportunity to discuss the communication difficulties faced by patients who are deaf or hard of hearing, and to learn appropriate ways to communicate more effectively.

Anita Low
Anita Low is a trained nurse and currently supports deaf patients as a day centre support worker for Hayfield Service for Deaf. She has considerable experience of supporting patients with communication difficulties.

Paul McCusker
Paul McCusker is a residential support worker for NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, and a BSL mediator. Paul is also deaf himself, and as such has first hand experience of the challenges faced by deaf patients.

Dr Helen Court
Dr Helen Court graduated with 1st class honours from Cardiff University in 2001 and in 2007 gained her PHD. She is an experienced optometrist and has an active research and teaching portfolio. In 2010 she gained her postgraduate certificate in university teaching and learning. She currently works for NHS Education for Scotland as a Senior Postgraduate Tutor in optometry, and holds honorary lecturer and fellow posts at both Cardiff University and Edinburgh University respectively.

2:  Paediatric Dispensing

Description:  Suitable for all eye care professionals, this workshop will discuss and consider many aspects of paediatric dispensing including correct frame, lens choice and fitting, duality of care and dispensing supervision.

Fiona Anderson
Fiona E Anderson BSc(Hons) FBDO R SMC(Tech) FEAO is the owner of an independent practice in Aberdeen and is an ABDO theory and practical examiner. She is an Optometry Scotland Executive Council member as well as the ABDO President. She is an experienced and dedicated practitioner, and has authored and facilitated many workshops for ABDO, NES and EAOO and lectured both in the UK and abroad on various optical-related topics.

Brenda Rennie 
Brenda Rennie FBDO is an experienced dispensing optician currently employed in independent practice. Brenda is ABDO Regional lead for Scotland, and an ABDO examiner. She has facilitated many discussion workshops and peer discussions for ABDO and NES.

Graeme Stevenson
Graeme Stevenson FBDO (Hons) CL is a contact lens optician and researcher for Boots Opticians. As well as his research work he is in CL practice working with dispensing opticians and IP optometrists. He has a wealth of experience as a CLO; mentoring and supervising students during their dispensing and contact lens training. 

3:  ABC of OCT

Description:  The ability to competently interpret the results of an OCT image is of vital importance for any optometrist who engages in the management or co-management of ocular disease.  This clinical discussion workshop will appeal to optometrists who feel the need to improve on their basic OCT interpretation skills. It will be based on cases of retinal disease and highlight how to interpret OCT images along with supporting case history to help identify and manage retinal abnormalities. Dispensing opticians are welcome to attend to gain a greater understanding of how optometrists use history and OCT to differentially diagnose macula disease.

Dr Kerr Brogan
Dr Kerr Brogan graduated from Dundee University Medical School in 2011. He developed a keen interest for ophthalmology early on in his studies, and went on to start his Ophthalmology training in West of Scotland in 2013. He currently works  with the vitreo-retinal team in Gartnavel General Hospital and has gained thorough experience in interpreting optical coherence tomography throughout his training.

Madeline Harvey-Brown

Madeline Harvey-Brown is a Senior Postgraduate Optometry Tutor for NHS Education for Scotland and has years of experience working in community based practise and registered as IP. She has recently received her Professional Certificate in Medical Retina from Cardiff University, and as part of her optometry career has taught at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

4:  EyeSi

Description:  Do you wish to enhance your Binocular Indirect Ophthalmoscopy (BIO) Examination technique? Have you ever wondered how much of the retina you actually examined? Optometrists now have an opportunity to see exactly how much retina they have examined in a Binocular Indirect Examination with the only EyeSi Indirect Ophthalmoscope Simulator in the UK. The simulator provides a lifelike learning environment and allows practitioners to work through real retinal cases from history and symptoms.

Dr Robin Legge
Dr Robin Legge is an experienced educator and has taught at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. He has been trained in use of the EyeSi and delivered multiple training sessions in the EyeSi.

5:  Evidence in Practice

Description:  This workshop will look at the practical aspects of using evidence in practice. It will provide an introduction to finding reliable sources of information and critically analysing what you read with a view to informing your future practice. 

Pam Robertson
Pam Robertson is an IP Optometrist who works full time in her own practice. She has also worked for NHS Education for Scotland and the University of Dundee as a Postgraduate Tutor for 4 years, and recently finished her MSc in Primary Care Ophthalmology at the University of Edinburgh. She has provided assistance to the GOC and other legal bodies previously by preparing expert reports in Fitness to Practice cases, and sits on the IP Reference Committee and the Independent Practice Committee for the College of Optometrists.  She is also the chair of her Local Area Optical Committee.

Rebecca Daly
Rebecca Daly is a NES Optometry Tutor, and IP optometrist and completed an MSc in Primary Care Ophthalmology with Edinburgh University in 2017. She has been a registered facilitator since 2014 and has an interest in medical education.

Katie Edwards
Katie Edwards is a Knowledge Manager working at NHS Education for Scotland. Her role includes providing training for the Knowledge Network to help staff get access to resources necessary for making informed, evidence based decisions about health. 

6:  First Port of Call Eye Care: A Practical Workshop

Description:  Since 2006, we have been the ‘first port of call’ for eye conditions in the community. More recently, the Community Eye Care Services Review recommended that the Scottish Government consider the optometry profession and the changing role of community optometry in the early detection of eye disease. It recommended that community optometry become the first port of call for unplanned and emergency eye care. This has helped to reduce the burden on GPs and Emergency Hospital Ophthalmology services.

In response to the recent General Ophthalmic Services (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2018, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) have developed a programme of education to support the First Port of Call (FPOC) eye care service across Scotland.

This discussion workshop, as part of this education programme, will involve the presentation of various clinical cases, each highlighting a particular aspect of first port of call eye care including; triage, clinical decision making, referral and working in teams. The workshop will be led by a Consultant Ophthalmologist and an IP Optometrist with experience of community shared care schemes. 

Dr Deepa Anijeet 
Dr Deepa Anijeet is a Consultant Ophthalmologist in Greater Glasgow & Clyde. Her speciality includes cornea and primary care.

Dr Louise Madden
Dr Louise Madden is an experienced IP Optometrist, NES Senior Postgraduate Optometry Tutor, facilitator and lecturer. She has a PhD and active research interests in the field of community optometry, and has taught extensively at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. She has a range of publications in peer reviewed and professional journals. She works as a community optometrist and has been part of a shared care eye care scheme since 2011. 

7:  Simple Steps to Gain Confidence in Testing Kids

Description:  This skills workshop will give you the opportunity to practice your cycloplegic retinoscopy on REAL patients. Experienced hospital optometrists will be on hand who will share all of their tips and tricks to help you overcome any "child-anxiety"
You will also get hands-on with different visual acuity tests. Results will be collated which will feed into an interesting discussion on what works best and why it matters to you and your youngest patients. BYOR - Bring your own ret! (or use one of ours - we'll have plenty). 

Colin Pettinger
Colin Pettinger is an IP optometrist with a special interest in community paediatrics. He works in community practice in the Highlands of Scotland and is also a sessional optometrist in paediatrics at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness. He works for the College of Optometrists as a member of the IP common final assessment writing and editing team. In 2017, he was among the first optometrists in the UK to receive the College of Optometrists new Professional Certificate in Paediatric Eye Care.