Optometrists are becoming increasingly aware of the challenges facing dry eye patients. Compliance with home treatments for dry eye can be variable and patient adherence to treatment instructions tend to diminish following an enthusiastic start. The recent TFOS DEWS II report provides excellent current information about the diagnosis and management of dry eye.
With this in mind, the University of Auckland School of Optometry and Vision Science (SOVS) is planning to establish a dry eye clinic which will be open to referrals from community optometrists. The clinic will be well equipped, and its aim will be to expose our final year optometry students to evidence-based, best practice dry eye care. This in turn will give our new graduates the confidence to take their skills and knowledge into practice to ensure the public receives world-class care in this field. As well as providing detailed diagnoses and recommendations for home therapies, a range of in-office treatments will also be available.
We are very fortunate to have Associate Professor Jennifer Craig as our advisor and the clinic will be led by Dr Marcy Tong, a SOVS professional teaching fellow who already has significant experience in diagnosing and managing dry eye disease. To attract referrals and maximise student exposure to dry eye cases, we will endeavour to set fees for this service at a level that will allow access by all patients who might benefit.
Planning for this clinic is now well underway and SOVS will announce more details in the coming months. The start date will be the beginning of March 2019.
We look forward to offering comprehensive dry eye care to the patients of community optometrists while at the same time providing research-led, first class teaching to our students.
