New funding models, revised guidelines for collaboration across professions and medical breakthroughs will give rise to opportunities for growth as well as challenges according to ophthalmologists, optometrists and representatives from the profession mivision spoke to for our first lead story in 2015. However, they said, succeeding within a stubbornly slow moving economy will require clever practice management and a commitment to differentiation.
To inspire you to succeed, we spoke to one of the giants on the global stage of eye health: Professor Brien Holden, founder and CEO of the Brien Holden Vision Institute. Professor Holden’s story provides an intriguing insight into his extraordinary motivation to eliminate uncorrected refractive error and into the network of eye health experts he draws on to achieve success.
Key research findings and new strategies for treatment of eye disease were presented at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmology (RANZCO) annual congress in November last year. Optom and eye safety expert Annette Hoskin spoke at RANZCO 2014 and went along to a number of the streams. She presents her highlights in our Ophthalmology Insights column. We also review Optometry Australia’s South Australian conference, Blue Sky 2014.
Still on the topic of education, this issue we have two CPD articles to get you settled into a new year of professional development. The first, on severe keratitis, was written by Dr. Nicole Carnt who has just returned from Moorfields Eye Hospital in the United Kingdom to work at the Save Sight Institute in Sydney. Our second article on keratoconus was written by clinical optometrist Anna Siu, who works with Personal Eyes. Both articles have great depth and together provide an excellent opportunity to earn an early four CPD points.
Late last year we reported on a newly formed volunteer group, which was heading off to the mountains of Nepal to provide eye health to Sherpa communities. We’re pleased to report that the first Eyes for Everest expedition was successful. One-hundred and thirty-four children and 16 adults were treated in just two and a half days. It’s a heart-warming story, accompanied by some beautiful imagery – I encourage you to take a look.
As we all get down to what looks to be another volatile year for business, Mark Overton writes about how small, easily achievable changes can make all the difference to your practice success, while sales consultant John Lees gives some excellent tips for being proactive with practice staff direction.
You might also like to read about the slightly unorthodox yet highly proactive approach to business management taken by Ralph Anderl of ic! Berlin. And our fashion feature reveals frame styles and lenses that can get your professional customers looking good and feeling confident as they settle into their own new year in business.
Although challenging, it looks like an exciting year ahead. I hope you enjoy our first issue of mivision for 2015.
Mark Cushway,
Editor
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