With pandemic restrictions easing, Optometry Tasmania is moving ahead, and bringing the profession together for another outstanding boutique conference in Hobart.
With COVID pandemic restrictions slowly being wound back throughout all states of Australia, there’s no doubt that we’re all breathing a sigh of relief. One issue that has come up in Tasmania is the wearing of face masks and rules for close contacts of people with COVID. While the requirements for face masks have been reduced, at the time of writing this column they were still required in optometry practices, which are considered high risk settings.
TLC is a great opportunity for delegates to receive their required CPD points, including many therapeutic points
Additionally, at the time of writing, the rules for close contacts in Tasmania were that a close contact without COVID symptoms and a negative RAT were no longer required to isolate at home. However, they were not permitted to enter hospitals which are considered a high risk setting.
However, these non-isolating close contacts were permitted to enter optometry practices, which were not considered a high risk setting in this context. Despite these rules, optometrists were able to insist that non-isolating close contacts reschedule their appointments to a later date.
You can be forgiven for feeling confused… some consistency on definitions would be appreciated!
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
The renewal period for Optometry Australia membership has now closed and we thank members for their loyal support. Over the last four years we have worked hard to maintain the same membership fees. Unfortunately, costs that are out of our control have substantially increased, forcing us to review our membership fees for 2022–23. We hope members understand this review was necessary. We have reduced our operating costs over the last four years and plan to provide member value and maintain services.
TASMANIAN LIFESTYLE CONGRESS 5–7 AUGUST 2022
The Tasmanian Lifestyle Congress (TLC) website is now live and loaded with conference details. Once again, the conference will be held in Hobart, this time from Friday 5 to Sunday 7 August. To allow us to focus on creating a quality experience for delegates at the venue, registration in 2022 is only for in-person attendance.
This year’s keynote speaker – Ann Webber – will present on Tips for the comprehensive eye exam in infants and young children and Scary kids that keep me awake at night – paediatric ocular pathology cases. Dr Webber has the position of Adjunct Associate Professor Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology.
Alongside local guest speakers, we also have three overseas speakers Zooming in for their presentations.
Dr Susan Cotter, Professor of Optometry at the Southern California College of Optometry and Tawna Roberts, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Stanford Medicine, will present on A practical guide for the management of refractive error in infants and young children. Professor Julie Rodman from Nova Southeastern University in Florida will speak on Retinal grand rounds diseases of the vitreomacular interface.
CooperVision will host a breakfast on the Sunday morning, and our conference dinner, which is complementary with full registration, will provide a wonderful opportunity to catch up with colleagues.
Hobart is a year-round destination for visitors, with attractions like Salamanca Market and the historic waterfront providing plenty of options for an extended stay. Conference delegates may need to bring their puffer jackets in case of cold weather.
TLC is a great opportunity for delegates to receive their required CPD points, including many therapeutic points, at one event. We expect the conference to be popular, so register early. You’ll find details on the conference website: taslifestylecongress.com.au.
TASMANIA OPTOMETRY FOUNDATION
The Tasmania Optometry Foundation was established from the accumulated funds of the former Optometrists Registration Board of Tasmania when that Board was replaced by the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme in July 2010. In 2021, the Foundation funded CPR course fees for Tasmanian optometrists and funded the Low Vision TLC presentations by Mae Chong and Luke Higgins.
We look forward to the upcoming year and assisting the profession wherever we can… and we hope to see you at TLC.
Jonathan Jones is the chief executive officer of Optometry Tasmania.
