Summer is around the corner and this season, if the weather continues as it has been, we’ll be living through a hot, dry season. Just perfect for long days on the beach and in the garden… but at what cost?
For this issue I interviewed Dr. John Pyne, a Sydney skin cancer specialist who just happens to have originally trained as an optometrist. He is on a mission to educate young optometrists about their duty of care to detect and refer on suspicious skin lesions.
Dr. Pyne and I spoke about the high incidence of skin cancer in Australia and New Zealand (the highest in the world) and about the need to lather on sun cream regardless of age (I’d always assumed the damage had already been done to my skin when I was a kid growing up in Auckland, so there wasn’t such a need to worry now). Interestingly, he told me that skin cancer rates increase with age, and this rate increase coincides with presbyopia.
Our lead story provides critical information about the signs of skin cancer, and highlights your obligation to check for those signs during your consults, and if appropriate, refer on. It’s not arduous, it could save lives and also build your practice reputation.
Online retailing has been top of mind recently, with the arrival of Amazon in the broad retail space and Speqs in optometry. We dug out some interesting facts about exactly who the biggest online users are and what they’re going online for.
These facts may change your view on whether you need to invest in an online presence. Lawyers Scott Chapman and Angela Pale delve into your legal obligations when marketing your practice online, and later in the issue Eyecare Plus reveals online strategies its members are implementing to engage with patients and support mainstream advertising campaigns.
This month is your last chance to earn points within the CPD year and we have three education articles to help you get there.
The first, by optometrist Kate Gifford, presents a solid argument for paediatric contact lens fitting. The second article, by optometrist Terry Ho, discusses early findings from research into glaucoma care in Australia and in doing so offers insights into how patient care can be further improved.
Our third article, by Associate Professor Jennifer Craig and Dr. Maria Markoulli, summarises key findings from the recent Tear Film and Ocular Society Dry Eye Workshop (DEWS II) that will be valuable in clinical practice. A/Prof. Craig presented findings from the Workshop, for the first time in Australasia, at the International Cornea and Contact Lens Congress in Sydney during September. A review of the conference is included in this issue.
Our ophthalmology columns, written by Clinical Professor Michael Lawless and Dr. Uday Bhatt, explores the fascinating area of bifocal and trifocal intraocular lenses, with a peek into the future.
On a lighter note, we review the latest technology defining sports and adventure eyewear – both frame and lenses; and we tell the story of Prada, established by the Italian visionary Mario Prada in 1913.
Enjoy the issue.
