Dr Erica Doucet, Deepi Dhanoa-Hayre and Tianyuan Qu at the Dunedin event

Learning and networking was the name of the game for 48 optometrists, dispensing opticians and students attending Specsavers Dunedin’s CPD evening.

Te Whatu Ora Southern guest speaker Dr Erica Doucet, co-clinical lead ophthalmologist, shared case studies reviewing strabismus red flags, while her colleague, Deepi Dhanoa-Hayre discussed an orthoptist assessment and management plan for amblyopia and strabismus. Case studies were also presented by graduate optometrists Max Wang from Specsavers Ashburton and Gabriel Lobo from Matthews Eyecare.

While many Otago-based optometrists joined in person, the hybrid event also welcomed online attendees from Kerikeri to Invercargill, said Specsavers host Tianyuan Qu. “Our hybrid event tested the feasibility of remote peer-reviewed activity through Max Wang’s case, which was successfully presented online. We also received positive feedback from the online audience, who felt comfortable joining in through the chat function. Overall, our post-event survey showed all participants agreed the event was engaging and informative and 100% said they would attend another event like this in the future.”

Specsavers Dunedin is planning to host two events per year going forward, said Qu. “Our events continue to demonstrate the demand for high-quality, local social and educational events. For smaller practices keen to host their own event, the hybrid model significantly lowers barriers.”