The Optometrists Association of Queensland and Northern Territory will present Australia’s very first Aviation Eye Examiner Training Course at the end of April.
The course will precede the Australian Vision Convention.
Kate Johnson, President of the OAA Qld/NT Division said the objective of the course is to provide vocational specific training for optometrists in the responsibilities of becoming Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) designated aviation eye examiners (DAEE).
Among numerous competencies, attendees will undertake to: develop an understanding of the occupational visual tasks and requirements for pilots and air traffic controllers in civil aviation; maintain clinical equipment and practice skills to achieve standards expected of DAEE and act as independent assessors of aviator’s vision as it relates to their fitness to meet the appropriate visual standard required; liaise with CASA and the pilot’s Designated Aviation Medical Examiner (DAME) through reports of visual examination and recommended outcomes; and document ongoing competencies through declarations and participation in an audit processes.
Course presenters include Associate Professor Pooshan Navathe, Principal Medical Officer at the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Australia; and Professor Algis Vingrys, a lecturer in the Optometry Department, University of Melbourne
Course presenters include Associate Professor Pooshan Navathe, Principal Medical Officer at the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Australia; and Professor Algis Vingrys, a lecturer in the Optometry Department, University of Melbourne. A/Prof. Pooshan Navathe spent over two decades in the military as a flight surgeon, and a decade in the regulatory aviation medicine sphere, in New Zealand and Australia. He is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association, and a Member of the International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine.
The course runs from 27 to 28 April, and is supported by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. For details visit www.optometrists.asn.au/queensland
