The 13th Orthokeratology Society of Oceania (OSO) conference will take place on the Gold Coast from 5 – 7 October 2018, and according to Gavin Boneham, President of the Orthokeratology Society, promises a comprehensive lecture program with a bias towards myopia control.
“Naturally we will be focussing mainly on the benefits of orthokeratology but, for anyone who wants to know about the latest in myopia control and to learn from experts who have been involved in myopia control, then this is the conference for you,” said Mr. Boneham.
The keynote speaker for this year’s conference is Professor Earl Smith, “whose landmark work on the peripheral retinal defocus theory underpins our understanding of how orthokeratology, and more recently soft multifocal contact lenses, can be effective to slow myopia progression in myopia control,” Mr. Boneham said.
Naturally we will be focussing mainly on the benefits of orthokeratology but, for anyone who wants to know about the latest in myopia control… this is the conference for you
Associate Professor Nicola Anstice, head of discipline at the new School of Optometry at Canberra University is also a listed speaker. She, along with Dr. John Phillips and the myopia team in their lab at the University of Auckland developed a prototype soft multifocal lens design that significantly slowed myopia progression. This has now been commercially released as Coopervision’s Misight daily lens, which has become one of the premier soft multifocal designs in the world for this purpose.
Assoc. Prof. Anstice will speak on contact lenses in children and present results from her PhD, which helped launch soft multifocal CLs into the myopia control market.
Professor Padmaja Sankaridurg will discuss the myopia epidemic around the world and outline the latest services, courses and tools that Brien Holden Vision Institute provides to address this epidemic.
International Presenters
A number of influential international orthokeratology and CL practitioners have been included on the program, among them Dr. Eddie Chow and Antonio Calossi. Dr. Chow is a Canadian contact lens practitioner and the developer of Orthotools. According to Mr. Boneham, this is one of the few customised GP and orthokeratology lens design platforms available in the world.
“Practitioners involved in using these programs get very excited about the possibilities that come with the use of these lenses, allowing them to optimise the lens designs to achieve greater myopia control and correct a greater range of prescriptions,” he explained.
Antonio Calossi is an Italian specialist contact lens practitioner, lecturer, researcher and the designer of the ESA Vision orthokeratology lens. “He will be sharing with us his experiences with difficult patients, exploring the outcomes of his latest research and presenting a practical lecture on getting the most out of our slit lamp photography,” said Mr. Boneham.
“Myopia control can now be targeted from many angles and what has emerged recently is the potential to combine therapies for greater effectiveness or for non-responders to mono-therapy. Dr. Peter Chen is an up and coming researcher and practitioner associated with Fudan University in Shanghai and he will present his results on combining atropine and orthokeratology, and the effect orthoK has on dry eye. Our very own world star of all things myopia, Kate Gifford, will present on the effect OrthoK has on binocular vision and will also give us a rundown on managing an effective myopia control practice,” said Mr. Boneham.
Pat Caroline and Randy Koijima – staples at OrthoK conferences for many years, will also return to the Gold Coast to rpesent leading edge knowledge on orthokeratology, myopia control and specialised lenses.
Practical Content Increased
Mr. Boneham said conference committee had increased the practical component at the conference this year, for both beginners and advanced practitioners.
“For half of Friday participants will be split into beginner and advanced categories. The beginner’s sessions are targeted at those who have just begun fitting OrthoK lenses, or are absolute novices. This beginner’s boot-camp will feature some of the members of the OSO committee who have presented talks in previous years all around the country,” said Mr. Boneham.
“The advanced boot-camp is for those who want to take their OrthoK practice to the next level. We will have worldwide experts lecturing on the latest techniques, protocols and offering us tips on how to optimise our OrthoK fitting to maximise treatment zone centration and myopia control. We will also delve into more advanced fitting theory such as using orthokeratology to correct astigmatism, hyperopia and even presbyopia with multifocal optics. The sky is the limit,” he said.
The final morning of the OSO conference will be dedicated to the real-world aspects of setting up and running a myopia control practice. Oliver Woo and Jagrut Lallu, who have been running comprehensive myopia control practices on both sides of the Tasman Sea for many years, and will share their experiences with using a range of methods to treat myopia progression. They will also cover practical tips on patient management, incorporating myopia control into your practice.
“We want you to get back to your clinics on Monday morning with a range of ideas and strategies to implement immediately, to ultimately benefit your patients,” said Mr. Boneham. “Everyone –from those getting started with orthoK and myopia control, to the experienced fitters in the room – will take something away from these sessions, we are sure of it.
“If you are interested in getting involved in myopia control or orthokeratology in your practice and want to hear the latest from the most experienced players in these fields in the world, then do yourself a favour: Join us at the Orthokeratology Society of Oceania’s 13th Annual Congress.”
For details, visit www.oso.net.au
