Christchurch Eye Surgery speakers Drs Sean Every, Elizabeth Conner, Malcom McKellar, Logan Robinson, Rahul Dwivedi and David Kent (front row)

Christchurch Eye Surgery hosted its annual optometrists’ seminar on 17 March – in recognition of the date, organisers Rachel Price and Anna Stephenson created an evening with a green-themed nod to St Patrick.

This verdant theme featured in Dr Logan Robinson’s lecture on iris colour and the prevalence of ocular melanoma. He discussed the MOLES (mushroom shape, orange pigment, large size, enlarging tumour and subretinal fluid) scoring system and how it can help optoms improve monitoring and referral of fundus naevi.

Dr Malcom McKellar shared his experiences in creating and sustaining three environmentally responsible businesses. No matter how carefully we live, our life has a negative impact on the environment, so the concept of a fully ‘sustainable business’ is not possible, he said. Dr McKellar showed what can be done, however, to improve patient outcomes while reducing environmental damage and promoting staff wellbeing. Far from being negative about the state of the world, Dr McKellar’s talk offered practical steps, including recommending Yvon Chouinard’s The Responsible Company as essential reading for those seeking meaning in their work beyond profit.

Menaga Manokaran, Jade Chen, Heidi Yoon, Michelle Ko, Winnie Ye and Megan Glover

Dr Sean Every put forward a compelling argument for same-day bilateral cataract surgery being more environmentally friendly than performing each eye on a different day. Outlining Dr Jesse Gale’s study in Wellington, he shared the carbon footprint of cataract surgery, with his own investigation finding 1.7kg of waste was produced by a single cataract extraction.

Clinically based lectures were provided by glaucoma specialist Dr Rahul Dwivedi, refractive surgeon Dr David Kent and anterior and paediatric specialist Dr Elizabeth Conner. Dr Dwivedi’s talk, ‘Angle closure made easy’ highlighted the importance of individualising treatment to suit the patient’s disease and lifestyle – geographical isolation and trabeculectomy may not be a good mix, for example, and peripheral iridotomies are not the answer for narrow angles. Dr Conner applied her two specialties to a lecture on paediatric keratoconus, with an emphasis on those also with trisomy 21 (Down syndrome). As keratoconus can progress rapidly in this population, intraocular-pressure-lowering methods can be used while waiting for corneal crosslinking, she explained. Dr Kent characterised the best patients for photorefractive keratectomy, LASIK and SMILE.

Finally, we were entertained by Dr Anna Sandiford’s insights from her work as a forensic scientist and author. She established The Forensic Group in Auckland in 2008 and has been an expert witness in high-profile cases including those of David Bain, Mark Lundy and Teina Pora. Her indirect journey from undergraduate in England to an environmental philanthropist and one of New Zealand’s foremost forensic scientists demonstrated that a science background can lead to unexpected careers. If you are tired of grafting at the coalface of optics, Dr Sandiford and her team at The Forensic Group might have a job for you – but don’t expect the glamorous life of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. There might be drama, there will be gore and there is science, but there’s not much talking or movement, she said. Dr Sandiford’s lecture provided equal parts entertainment and morbid fascination.

Christchurch Eye Surgery’s evening seminar provided a perfect mix of education, inspiration and entertainment. St Patrick would have approved.

Susan Arps and Sarah Clayden

More South Island-based education!

After a five-year hiatus, Snowvision is back, delivering more eye health learning combined with skiing in beautiful Queenstown from 2-5 August. Hosted at the Crowne Plaza, delegates can immerse themselves in educational mornings and afternoons while enjoying all the region has to offer in the middle of the day.

This year’s impressive line-up of speakers includes US keynotes Associate Professor Matt Bovenzi from State University of New York (SUNY) and Professor Steve Ferruci from the Southern California College of Optometry at the Marshall B Ketchum University. For more information and to register, visit https://snowvisionnz.weebly.com.

The Snowvision Charitable Trust also announced an increase in the value of its scholarship to $8,000, to help offset the increased cost of airline travel. The increase will apply to all scholarships awarded since 2020, and a member of the trust will contact 2020-2022 scholarship recipients to inform them of the change. Applications for 2023 scholarships close on 31 May.

Catherine Small is a therapeutically qualified optometrist based in Christchurch.