Optician articles from February 2005

Optician archives from February 2005

Presbyopia and ; contact lenses.
February 4, 2005... Part 2 - Soft contact lens fitting in presbyopes John Rogers describes some of the innovative soft multifocal options available today and the procedures required to achieve a successful outcome when fitting the ever increasing number of...

Practitioners face charges at the GOC.(General Optical Council)
February 4, 2005... Three practitioners will face separate GOC disciplinary hearings this month, each charged with serious professional misconduct. Optometrist Jeremy Stephen Fox, who is based in Kingston-upon-Thames, is scheduled to appear on February 15. The...

BBGR tackles smudges with Neva coating.
February 4, 2005... Lens manufacturer BBGR has launched Neva, an anti-reflective coating that incorporates a smudge-proof agent. The company claimed that the exclusive formula of the coating allowed the lenses to remain smudge-free longer and made them twice as...

who's on the ; move.(appointments)
February 4, 2005... Haag-Streit has appointed David Wright as divisional director and Dean Johnson (pictured) as marketing manager to head a newly formed limited company operating from its headquarters in Harlow, Essex. Wright served as manufacturing director for...

German optics on road to recovery in Munich.(British Contact Lens Association)
February 4, 2005... Further evidence of recovery in the German market emerged at last weekend's Opti Munich exhibition. Over 33,000 specialist visitors from 63 countries attended the event held at the New Munich Trade Centre between January 28 and 30 - marking a 5...

VE to give optometrists red carpet treatment.(Vision Express)
February 4, 2005... Vision Express is to concentrate on improving the lot of its optometrists, senior management will tell staff at its annual conference in the Algarve which starts today (February 4). This was the message of Bernhard Nuesser, chief executive of...

Which? attacks laser eye clinics' advice.
February 4, 2005... Advice given by staff at laser eye clinics has been slated by a Consumers' Association survey. The research, published in the Association's Which? magazine yesterday (February 3), revealed that outlets are not informing people about the health...

Dispensers' funding issue 'brushed aside'.
February 4, 2005... The dispensing profession has received the long-awaited reply from Government on funding for CET, but the goal of remuneration for training has been 'brushed aside'. ABDO, the representative body for DOs, received the letter from health...

Enhancing vision.
February 11, 2005... To complement our CET module on occupational lens dispensing (page 25), Peter Sanders offers some practical considerations on enhanced reading and occupational lenses I recently came to the conclusion that most dispensers do not understand...

Ladies first.
February 11, 2005... Last May, Classic Eyes won optician's Eye Care Practice of the Year award. Emma White caught up with the all-female Cardiff Bay team Jessica McMorris never dreamed her practice would win the 2004 Eye Care Practice of the Year Award. Despite...

Practice makes fashion statement.
February 11, 2005... Independent optician Geoff Steven & Son has a new image to appeal to a wider customer base following a major practice redesign and fit out in the market town of Hexham, Northumberland. The new interior was designed by Colin Williams Design of...

Thomas Young.(Biography)
February 11, 2005... Tim Bowden and Andrew Gasson begin their new series describing the life and work of most of the scientists and clinicians who have helped to develop contact lenses Thomas Young was an eminent physicist who had also studied medicine from...

Threat to referral fees via 'choose and book'.
February 11, 2005... The AOP has contacted LOCs in England warning them about the actions of some PCTs in the new 'choose and book' referral process. Following a straw poll of local optical committee secretaries, the Association has discovered that some PCTs are...

Eyecare 3000 eyes London expansion.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... Expansive event Eyecare 3000 is to come to the capital for the first time at the end of the year. The course and mini-exhibition format, which has already been run successfully in Glasgow and Belfast this year, will be held at London's Royal...

European Court to hear D&A tax case.(value added tax evasion by Dollond & Aitchison)
February 11, 2005... Dollond & Aitchison could be facing a multi-million pound tax bill unless it convinces a European Court that the contact lens packages it sends UK patients from its Jersey distribution centre are worth under [pounds sterling]18. Following our...

Drivers may face more frequent eye exams.
February 11, 2005... Practitioners could stand to benefit from a new EU plan to improve road safety. If the proposal is passed, British motorists will be forced to take more regular eye examinations whenever their driving licence is renewed. UK drivers are...

Replay offers training with virtual lectures.(dispensing opticians)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... Replay Learning has introduced two new virtual lecture programmes for 2005 aimed at optometrists, DOs and contact lens opticians. The computer-based distance learning programmes offer eye-care professionals the opportunity to watch regular...

Sir John Frederick William Herschel.(research on corneal irregularities and astigmatism)
February 18, 2005... Tim Bowden and Andrew Gasson continue their new series describing the life and work of most of the scientists and clinicians who have helped to develop contact lenses Sir John Frederick William Herschel, First Baronet, was the only son of...

Quik-witted.(Quiksilver Inc.)
February 18, 2005... Supplying Puff Daddy's underpants may not seem like a prerequisite for success in the eyewear business but for those into action sport and street style it's not a bad place to start. Chris Bennett reports uiksilver started out as a...

Eye care services steering group The cataract pathway.
February 18, 2005... The cataract patient pathway initiative is proving to be a bonus for many elderly and susceptible people and deserves a higher profile, writes Elizabeth Frost, chair of the Cataract Steering Group One of the initial pieces of work for the...

OOs help to reduce cataract waiting time.(Ophthalmic Optician)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... Efforts to substantially reduce waiting times for initial NHS cataract procedures appear to be working, the Department of Health has claimed. The Government allocated [pounds sterling]73m to reduce queues and speed up access for the procedure,...

Vision through cataract.
February 18, 2005... In the second of our CET series linked to the eyecare pathways, Professor David Thomson looks at the impact of cataract on vision (CET Module: C551) A recent patient explains how her vision has deteriorated over the past year: 'The funny...

Rewarding the best.(optician awards)
February 18, 2005... This year the optician Awards are sponsored by Johnson & Johnson, Dollond & Aitchison and Grafton Optical with its technology partners Eyescape and Paradigm. But time is running out to submit your entry. Here our three sponsors outline their...

Steps to better care.
February 18, 2005... Anita Lightstone explains the need for the new pathways and what we might look out for over the coming year In 2002 the Department of Health established the National Eye Care Steering Group.1 The group was given the remit to look at current...

Dunelm sets out its stall for Birmingham show.
February 18, 2005... Look out for a whole host of new styles and colours from Dunelm Optical at this year's Optrafair. Celine Dion and Cour Carre are featuring new frames for both optical and sunwear and Hallmark is adding seven new models. Chantrelle is...

The specialist optometrist.
February 18, 2005... Professor Ram Dhillon and consultant ophthalmologists Christopher Bentley and Philip Bloom outline a new training opportunity addressing the future demand for specialised optoms Although ophthalmology does not feature in the national...

The fine line.(Robert William Morris founder of William Morris Eyewear)
February 18, 2005... Continuing our series on British frame design, Robert William Morris, founder of William Morris Eyewear, tells Rob Moss about the fine line he takes between playing it safe and taking risks The William Morris Eyewear collection is...

Striving for influence.
February 18, 2005... Bob Hughes, AOP chief executive designate, tells David Challinor it is the time for the profession to extend its clout within the Health Service Bob Hughes is using his impressive skills of persuasion to tell me how optometry can seize...

AOP defends optics after Mail price claims.
February 18, 2005... The AOP has acted swiftly to try to counter the latest negative publicity on the profession following an attack on retail optics' pricing by a national newspaper. The Daily Mail (February 12) claimed that 'high-street opticians are generating...

Show mirrors changes ; in optical job market.
February 18, 2005... New job opportunities - plus the chance to check out salary levels and falling locum rates in some areas - will be discussed by recruitment exhibitors at the Optrafair exhibition. Franchising and joint-venture partnership options are also...

Optometry Scotland says 'no' to draft bill.
February 18, 2005... Scotland's professionals have denounced the funding set aside to offer its entire population free eye tests as 'unrealistic and inadequate'. Optometry Scotland (OS), the representative body for optometrists and DOs north of the border,...

Luxottica hits new heights.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... Luxottica, the largest company in optics, has seen its turnover grow 14.1 per cent to U3.22bn, with net profits increasing 7.3 per cent to U287m. Retail sales now account for more than two-thirds of Luxottica's turnover at U2.32bn, while...

Designs of the times.
February 25, 2005... The family firm of GC Bateman is getting a makeover, with a practice redesign, investment in instrumentation, services and a new fascia. Rory Brogan visited the company at its Surrey headquarters Nicholas Bateman admits he gets ribbed by...

Awards deadline is extended.
February 25, 2005... The deadline for entries to this year's optician Awards, has been extended to next Friday, March 4. There are 10 categories to enter, so if you haven't yet submitted your entry you have one more week to do so This year optician has...

LOCs are offered web solutions by new firm.(Haine & Smith Opticians)
February 25, 2005... A new enterprise, co-founded by two optical profession stalwarts, launches today (February 25). The company, Primary Health Net (PHN), is offering ready-made website solutions to LOCs, and other primary care professionals. It has been...

Ocular therapeutics - Part 13 ; Anterior segment disease: history and examination.
February 25, 2005... In this module, Christopher Hammond describes how to take a structured ophthalmic history and outlines the examination techniques used to assess the integrity of the anterior segment CET module C643 It is said in medicine that 70 per cent...

Kata twigs on to nature.(Kata Europe )
February 25, 2005... Kata has added a number of new styles that use 'lush' temples with a clean, modern edge. The company uses the 'entire length of the temple as a canvas for laser-cut patterns laminated between two thin sheets of plastic, the result is...

Boots loses boss but gains 'premier store'.
February 25, 2005... Boots Opticians will be part of Boots The Chemists new prestigious presence on London's Oxford Street. However, February has seen the departure of the director who oversaw its new staff incentive scheme. Colin McLean, whose background was in...

'Eye-bay' offers way to trade unwanted items.
February 25, 2005... An 'opticians e-Bay', enabling practitioners to buy and sell second-hand optical goods, has been launched this week by a Bolton Specsavers partner. The venture which is independent of the multiple is the brainchild of Mark Barclay, whose aim...

Profession in talks over health service reforms.
February 25, 2005... Discussions of a potential shared database between the NHS and the profession have taken place. It is hoped a single information source can be developed to view shared or similar competencies between optometrists, DOs and hospital staff in the...

OO accused of theft faces GOC hearing.(Ophthalmic Optician)(General Optical Council)
February 25, 2005... An optometrist accused of stealing hundreds of pounds from her employer will appear at a General Optical Council disciplinary meeting next month. Sarah Jane Beaumont, who is registered in Ipswich, is alleged to have taken [pounds...