Welcome to the June issue of mivision.
The federal budget’s been handed down and thankfully there have been no cuts to the eye health sector. It seems that despite the threatened cuts to medical research of AUD$400 million, in the end the government listened to the chorus of reason. What’s more, it praised the public’s united protests, which, said Minister Butler: “highlighted the passion of the medical research sector and lifted its profile in the community”.
Deservedly so – as a result of ongoing research and funding, Australia has become a leader in the fields of eye care and optics around the globe with many world-firsts launching from our shores. We look at some of those important discoveries including the most recent breakthrough by Dr. Jamie Craig and his team from the Department of Ophthalmology at Flinders University who have discovered two new genes linked to open angle glaucoma.
The collaborative effort of the Vision 2020 consortium is also reliant on ongoing funding from the government to fight against avoidable blindness around the world. As you’ll read in this issue, in its first year of programming across the Asia Pacific, the lives of thousands of people in Cambodia has already been dramatically improved, not to mention those in Papua New Guinea and Vietnam.
But it’s not only government and corporate funded organisations that can make the difference to disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Remarkably, two ophthalmologists working side by side on a common goal from opposite ends of the world have made significant inroads into the vision health of some of India’s poorest people. It shows how a little help can go along way…
In this issue we also take a long term approach at short-sightedness, focus on king brands that have the power to strongly influence a buyer’s decision making process and weigh up the pros and cons of buying the premises in which you practice. We consider the options available to an independent optometrist when it comes to competing with the giant chains on price as there are some great budget frames out there to help you fight back!
Speaking of being independent, we unpack the timely speech by Paul Clarke the President of the International Opticians Association who encouraged graduate opticians to be brave and creative in their careers and to take the step into private practice.
Finally, according to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), there are now 4,429 registered Optometrists in Australia, a significant increase on the oft discussed figures of 3,500 to 3,700.
Mr. Joe Chakman, National CEO of the Optometrists Association of Australia, said this figure confirms the Association’s view that there is no shortage of optometrists per capita in Australia and that “we probably have more optometrists per capita than any other country in the world”. The problem is essentially due to geography “where there are 5,000 people over 5,000sq miles – it’s almost impossible to have a full-time practice,” he said. Read more on the Association’s position in News.
There’s something for everyone who works in the world of optics in this issue of mivision.
Enjoy.
Mark Cushway
Editor
Contents:
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miniews all the latest news from the month of June 2011. |
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mistory: Taking the Lead: Australia’s optical industry has produced a very impressive track record of ‘world firsts’. |
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mifeature: Bully Blocking. Kids with glasses used to be bullied. Today, glasses are cool but eye care professionals still need to be aware of schoolyard dynamic. |
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mifeature: Lives Transformed. We report on the hard work of the Vision 2020 Australia’s Global Consortium and how it has transformed thousands of lives in Cambodia. |
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miview: World history is never dull, just sometimes it is a tad more crowded with ‘sensational’ events. |
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mioptometry: the latest optometry reports June 2011 from Australia and New Zealand. |
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mioptometry: The inaugural Australian Vision Convention was held at the Gold Coast Convention..read more… |
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miophthalmology: When an Australian ophthalmologist and an Indian eye surgeon met at a rural Indian orphanage, they began a partnership that has changed their lives and the world around them. |
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milenses: Zeiss Photofusion: Carl Zeiss’s Photofusion Lenses has a new technology that responds quickly to changes in ultraviolet irradation resulting in a rapid change between clear to dark then back again. |
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mieyecare: Myopia Control: Accumulating evidence indicates that the regulation of myopia is changing from an aspiration to a reality. |
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mibusiness: A Little Cylinder: A Lot of Sales… business experts show you how toric lenses could help build your practice. |
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mibusiness: King of Brands: Rulers of the Market: why trust is essential to developing a ‘king brand’. Read more… |
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mibusiness:Make the Right Choice for your Practice Premises: consider whether you’d be better off buying – not renting – your practice premises |
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mifashion: Optique Line: Converting Concepts into Sales: the magnetic clip concept behind Convertibles eyewear. Read more.. |
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mifashion:Frames that Fight Back: With budget frames the trick is to source quality frames and lenses from savvy suppliers then let your patients know you have them. |
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mifashion news: all the latest fashion news from June 2011 |
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miproducts: all the latest products from June 2011. |
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miLastWord: There’s something exciting about being told a good story – whether it’s from the screen, the page, an ipad or a friend. Read more.. |
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