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Vision standards and occupational eye testing can have profound consequences on patients and their families, especially when children are weighing up their career prospects. It’s therefore important that optometrists understand how tests are carried out and the implications of their results. In this episode, Michelle Hanratty takes a trip to the vision research centre at City St George's, University of London, to meet Professor John Barbur. John explains how occupational vision standards vary and how different tests are carried out.
What if a patient doesn’t meet the vision standards for their dream job, though? Optometrists will often need to break bad news to patients, which can be challenging. With this in mind, Michelle receives some tips from Ian Trimmer, a social worker who specialises in mastering difficult conversations.
If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.
GOC-registered optometrists practising in England, Wales or Northern Ireland can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Communication and Clinical Practice. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. -
As it is a condition that comes on with ageing, presbyopia is something that optometrists very commonly encounter in practice. For most people who develop long-sightedness, their eyesight is easily corrected with spectacles and sometimes contact lenses. But many patients seek to reduce their dependence on spectacles and that’s where refractive surgery can provide a welcome solution.
In this episode, Michelle Hanratty explores how to advise patients on their options and how to manage post-surgery patients with more confidence. Professor Clare O’Donnell, Head of Eye Science at Optegra, talks about her presbyopic journey, which resulted in laser vision correction. Michelle then discusses refractive lens exchange options with Amir Hamid, a cataract and refractive surgeon. Finally, specialist refractive optometrist Sundeep Vaswani and Michelle look at the considerations that need to be taken into account when patients that have undergone presbyopic surgery attend for an eye examination.
If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.
GOC-registered optometrists practising in England, Wales or Northern Ireland can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Communication and Clinical Practice. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. -
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Gene therapy is one of the most exciting areas of modern medicine. In eye care, they promise to restore the vision of patients with both rare genetic eye diseases, such as a certain type of inherited retinal dystrophy, as well as more common conditions that have genetic components, like AMD.
In this episode, Michelle Hanratty uncovers how gene therapies work with Omar Mahoo, a consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital, St Thomas’ Hospital and University College London. Michelle also hears about the first NHS approved ocular gene therapy programme, with Robert Henderson, a consultant paediatric ophthalmologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital. Robert demonstrates the impact that gene therapies can have on patients and how optometrists can play an important role in supporting these treatments.
If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.
GOC-registered optometrists practising in England, Wales or Northern Ireland can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Communication and Clinical Practice. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. -
Half of the population experience menopause, but its effects are wide-ranging and poorly understood. In this episode, Michelle Hanratty investigates how menopause can affect the eye — from inflammatory changes, such as blepharitis, to dry eye disease and even an association with glaucoma. Michelle examines the scientific research with Stuti Misra, an Associate Professor in ophthalmology at University of Auckland. Plus, Julia Sen, a consultant ophthalmologist and oculoplastic surgeon, joins Michelle to explain how understanding menopause will enable more empathetic and effective communication with patients.
If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.
GOC-registered optometrists practising in England, Wales or Northern Ireland can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Communication and Clinical Practice. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. -
Complaints are a normal part of a patient-facing industry, like optometry — from problems with prescriptions to quibbles about customer service. Therefore, handling complaints in a professional manner is an essential part of the GOC’s Standards of Practice. In this episode, Michelle Hanratty hears from Dawn Slocombe, a Complaints Resolution Manager at the Optical Consumer Complaints Service (OCCS), about how complaints are processed through their service and why communication is the key. Michelle also asks Richard Edwards, the Clinical Consultant for the OCCS, how to manage your complaints process better, to avoid any issues escalating. In addition, Richard describes how optometrists can reduce the likelihood of a complaint happening in the first place. Thanks also to Roshni Kanabar from the Association of Optometrists (AOP).
This podcast expands on Docet’s “Leadership is not hierarchical” webinar, in which Richard Edwards was the speaker. Richard answers many of the follow-up questions that optometrists sent in.
If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.
GOC-registered optometrists practising in England, Wales or Northern Ireland can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Communication and Leadership & Accountability. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. -
In optometry, exciting new products or treatments are constantly coming onto the market. As practitioners, we need to keep our knowledge up-to-date, so that we can offer solutions to our patients if they present with an ocular condition. But is the evidence strong enough to make a recommendation or to provide that treatment?
In this episode, Michelle Hanratty taps into the expertise of IP optometrists Paramdeep Bilkhu and Alan Hawrami. As a Clinical Advisor at the College of Optometrists, Paramdeep explains how he interrogates research evidence to produce Clinical Management Guidelines and how to ensure that clinical practice is evidence-based and patient-centred. Meanwhile Alan, as the director of two practices providing community ophthalmology in Kent, discusses what he would consider before investing in a new treatment or instrument and the importance of clear communication when obtaining patient consent.
If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.
GOC-registered optometrists practising in England, Wales or Northern Ireland can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Professionalism and Clinical Practice. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. -
Ocular allergy can be more complicated than the seasonal conjunctivitis that optometrists see frequently in practice. To treat allergic reactions effectively, it’s important to understand how the immune system works. In this episode, Michelle and Dr Peter Frampton, an optometrist at Aaron Optometrists in the North of England, discuss the four types of immune reactions, or “allergies”, that can be expected in practice. Michelle also speaks to Eleaonor, one of Peter’s patients, who had interstitial keratitis as a result of a long-term herpes zoster infection. Peter explains why, perhaps unexpectedly, this case is actually an allergic response.
If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.
GOC-registered optometrists practising in England, Wales or Northern Ireland can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Communication, Clinical Practice and Independent prescribing. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. -
Children with special educational needs (SEN) are 28 times more likely to have a problem with their vision—or how their brains interpret vision—than their peers. It’s essential that optometrists understand how to make appointments as successful as possible for SEN children and their families. In this episode, Michelle Hanratty asks Ellie Hughes, Assistant Headteacher and Sensory Impairment Lead at Chellow Heights Special School, what clinicians can do to help SEN children feel more comfortable in consulting rooms. Plus, Rachel Pilling, a Paediatric Ophthalmologist and Professor at the University of Bradford, explains why “success” in eye appointments should be measured against different metrics for SEN children. The most important outcome should be that patients are put on the pathway to lifelong eyecare.
This podcast serves as a follow-up to the first Docet webinar in 2024: Assessing children with special educational needs, in which Rachel Pilling was the speaker. Rachel answers many of the questions optometrists asked in the webinar. Find Michelle and Rachel’s recommended reading materials by searching for “Sound Optometry” on the Docet website.
If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.
GOC-registered optometrists practising in England, Wales or Northern Ireland can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Communication and Clinical Practice. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. -
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of sight loss in the UK, and the dry form is the most common type of the condition. In this episode, Michelle Hanratty visits a community practice in Harborne, Birmingham, to meet optometrist Bradley Warwick. Brad specialises in dry AMD, so Michelle and Brad discuss how to manage and counsel patients with the condition that currently has no treatment options. Later, one of Brad’s patients, Martin, joins the conversation to discuss how he copes with the gradual progression of dry AMD and geographic atrophy.
Finally, Michelle looks to the future to find some good news: the first treatments for dry AMD became available in the US last year. Clare Bailey, a consultant ophthalmologist at Bristol Eye Hospital, explains how the treatments work, which patients they would be most suitable for and the role that optometrists would play in referring patients. The two treatments are not yet approved for use in the UK, but Clare explains that a decision should be made in 2024.
GOC-registered optometrists practising in England, Wales or Northern Ireland can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Communication and Clinical Practice. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. -
Laser treatments are a great way for optometrists to learn new skills and add some variety to day-to-day practice. In this episode, Michelle Hanratty brings us into her YAG laser capsulotomy clinic in Birmingham, where she treats posterior capsule opacification (PCO) following cataract surgery. Michelle walks us through an appointment with a patient, demonstrating how quick and effective the treatment can be, as well as explaining the potential risks involved. Michelle’s colleague, Steven Burge, an optometrist at Optegra in Birmingham and Uttoxeter, who recently completed his YAG laser training, explains what the training process was like and how it’s a particularly rewarding advanced optometric role.
Finally, Michelle chats to Don Williams, an optometrist at Edgbaston Eye Clinic, who trained in SLT to treat ocular hypertension and glaucoma. Don explains why SLT is such a useful tool in controlling intraocular pressure and upskilling in this form of laser treatment can improve optometrists' overall understanding of the eye and their clinical skills.
This episode covers the GOC domains of Communication and Clinical Practice. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. -
Over 400,000 cataract procedures are done every year in England alone and the surgery is also one of the most successful in modern medicine. But complications can still occur, for a number of reasons. With optometrists becoming ever more involved with cataract surgery patient pathways — from direct referral to postoperative care — in this episode, Michelle Hanratty explores the risk and complications that optometrists should be aware of.
Michelle’s expert guest is David Lockington, a Consultant Ophthalmologist and cornea and cataract surgeon in Glasgow, Scotland. David and Michelle discuss the risks associated with every stage of cataract surgery and how to better communicate decisions and expectations with patients.
This episode covers the GOC domains of Communication and Clinical Practice. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. -
Myopia can be much more than just shortsightedness. In this episode, Michelle Hanratty speaks to her friend Kathryn, who has severe myopia, to find out how the condition can cause further ocular health problems, like macular degeneration.
Two years ago on the podcast, we explored how optometrists should play an active role in myopia management using contact lenses. Listen to that episode here.
Since then, more research has been published on the effectiveness of myopia management lenses and there have been further innovations of the technologies that can slow the progression of myopia. This month, Michelle catches up with Kathryn Webber, an optometrist and the clinical lead for myopia management at the University of Bradford, to understand the options better — this time focussing on spectacles. Michelle also asks Kathryn about the updated College of Optometrists guidelines, published in August 2022, about managing myopia.
Finally, we hear from Quratulain, the mother of two highly myopic children, who have been using Hoya’s MiYOSMART spectacles — and why these technologies could make a real difference.
This episode covers the GOC domains of Communication and Clinical Practice. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. -
Regular eye screening for the more than 4 million people in the UK with diabetes is essential. The chronic condition is difficult to manage, but high blood sugar over time can damage the blood vessels in the retina. These changes to the eye can be detected by retinal photography, yet diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness, because it typically isn’t caught — and managed — early enough.
This episode explores how England’s diabetic eye screening services currently work, with Kamran Rajaby, a Senior Retinal Screener Grader at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. Michelle Hanratty also looks to the future, by discussing the role that artificial intelligence can begin to play in detecting retinal changes, with Dr Cathy Egan, a consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital. Finally, Michelle discusses the treatment options and pathways for problematic diabetic eye disease with Sajjad Mahmood, the medical retina lead for Optegra UK and a consultant ophthalmic surgeon in Manchester.
This episode covers the GOC domain of Clinical Practice. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. -
Detecting and diagnosing suspect glaucoma isn’t an exact science, but the stakes are high—undetected or late-diagnosed optic nerve damage can lead to irreversible vision loss. Subtle changes in the optic nerve head can be confusing, though, so as an optometrist, being confident in your clinical decisions is essential. In this episode, Michelle Hanratty seeks advice on optic disc assessments with Patrick Gunn, an optometrist at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital. Michelle also asks one of Patrick’s patients, Rajiv Mittal, why optometrist-led care can be beneficial to both patients and secondary care providers.
This episode follows a recent Docet webinar on glaucoma - the optic disc challenge, hosted by Patrick Gunn. Find the course page here.
This episode covers the GOC domains of Clinical Practice and Communication. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. -
One of the side-effects for patients who take hydroxychloroquine, or chloroquine, can be retinal toxicity. The drug is usually taken to help treat rheumatic disorders, but around 7.5% of people who take hydroxychloroquine for over five years are thought to develop retinopathy. That’s why regular monitoring of the eyes is essential. Typically, monitoring takes place in secondary care, however primary care optometry can now play a more useful role – and optometrists can help to highlight the first stages of decline earlier.
In this episode, Michelle Hanratty asks Sharon Beatty, an optometrist, and Sonia, a patient, about a pilot monitoring scheme in optometry across the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board in Wales. Michelle also dives deeper with Rhianon Reynolds, a consultant ophthalmologist within the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. They discuss how the Royal College of Ophthalmologists guidelines changed in 2020 – away from baseline monitoring – and towards more targeted tests. The AOP has also recently updated its advice on community monitoring for patients who take hydroxychloroquine.
This episode was suggested by Janice McCrudden, an IP optometrist in Northern Ireland, who explains to Michelle why she was surprised to hear about the rapid deterioration of a patient’s ocular health.
This episode covers the GOC domains of Professionalism and Clinical Practice. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. -
Leadership in optometry can take many forms - from solving a patient’s complaint successfully, to managing a team of optometrists, to dealing with our busy workflows. In this episode, Michelle Hanratty asks Mat Pickering, the General Manager of Optegra UK, how optometrists can become leaders in the workplace. Michelle is the Optometrist Lead at Optegra in Birmingham, and the pair discuss the multiple aspects of lead roles and what leadership really means for all optometrists. Next, Michelle is joined by Brian McCotter, an optometrist in Darlington who has experience in professional services and practice management. Brian was also a speaker at Docet’s March 2023 webinar, which asked: Are all optometrists clinical leaders? Michelle and Brian follow-up on the webinar, discussing supervision, patient records and how to maintain a safe patient-environment - which are key aspects of the Leadership and Accountability GOC domain.
This episode covers the GOC domain of Leadership and Accountability. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. -
The impact of severe dry eye or ocular surface disease on quality of life has been compared to someone who’s had a renal transplant or unstable angina. In this episode, we hear how dry eye disease affected both the ocular and mental health of patient Dave Cannell. For optometrists, dry eye can be tricky to manage and patients may need to be referred to hospital eye services. Michelle Hanratty explores the role that optometrists should play in managing these conditions with Professor Sai Kolli, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. We also hear from dry eye specialist optometrist Sarah Farrant again. Sai and Sarah explain how optometry can be best utilised for managing and treating ocular surface diseases, to reduce the burden on NHS hospitals.
This episode covers the GOC competencies - Clinical Practice and Professionalism. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. -
Mental health isn’t usually the first consideration in optometrists’ minds when they see patients. But with conditions like anxiety and depression on the rise, optometrists, as primary healthcare providers, should be on the lookout for mental health concerns and how to point patients in the right direction. In this episode, Michelle Hanratty asks optometrist Sarah Farrant and her patient Christine Lanaghan how to talk about mental health in practice. Christine also uses her experience as an integrated counsellor to suggest resources for patients who might be struggling. Plus, Michelle investigates the relationship between mental health and ocular health with Dr Dennis Pardo, an optometrist and psychotherapist in Massachusetts.
This episode covers the GOC competencies - Clinical Practice and Communication. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development.
Find a registered British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy counsellor at https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-therapy/using-our-therapist-directory/. -
Visual field tests can be invaluable when trying to explain a patient’s symptoms, like headaches, or detecting early disease, from glaucoma to stroke, or rarer neurological conditions, such as pituitary tumours. In this episode, Michelle Hanratty asks Stephen Freeman, an optometrist and lecturer at the University of Plymouth, when to be suspicious and what steps to take to investigate non-glaucomatous visual field defects in practice. Afterwards, Michelle is joined by Dr Lindsay Rountree, Assistant Professor at the University of Bradford, to explore the interpretation of field plots in detail. She also answers the questions put to her by the attendees of the webinar on the same topic.
This episode covers the GOC domain of Clinical Practice. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. -
Mental health conditions can affect anyone and can have a negative impact on optometrists’ work. In this episode, Michelle Hanratty discusses these implications with Sheena Tanna-Shah, an optometrist who retrained in therapy after her own experience with anxiety. Also, avoiding stress and burnout at work can help to reduce the risk of mental health conditions – and makes working as an optometrist much more enjoyable. Dr Rachel Morris, a former GP-turned-executive-coach shares her tips and tricks to stay on top of your wellbeing at work.
This episode covers the GOC competencies - Professionalism and Communication. Docet - dedicated to providing quality optometric education and professional development. - Näytä enemmän
