EyePod: The optometry podcast

In this episode of the College's podcast, we cast our minds back to February 2020 when Martin spoke to Malcolm McPherson MCOptom about managing corneal foreign bodies. Little did they know when they merrily discussed the perils of removing particles from the eye, what was to lie ahead. Malcolm talks about the types of cases he's come across, when to refer and when to take matters into your own opt...

In this episode of WebinarXtra, Daniel talks to Mike Horler MCOptom who answered all those 'Xtra' questions there wasn't enough time to cover during his webinar. Mike provides a greater understanding of how to interpret OCT scans in diagnosing macula and disc conditions, making accurate diagnoses and referral decisions. Members can watch a recording of the webinar and earn one non-interactive CET...

Optometry in Practice (OiP) Editor-in-Chief, Professor Leon Davies FCOptom, interviews Claire McDonnell MSc elearning FAOI, one of the authors of the recent paper 'Lissamine green – where have we been and where are we now?'. Claire talks about the importance of lissamine green as part of an anterior eye assessment, previous issues affecting its availability, conjunctival staining compared to corne...

Martin and Daniel bring you another College podcast episode and, this time, Martin talks to Professor John Lawrenson FCOptom of City University, London, about his editorial published in the July issue of the prestigious optometry journal, Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics (OPO). The paper provides a review of the evidence relating to COVID-19 and the eye, methods of transmission and practice imp...

Have you ever wondered how your actions affect those around you on a day-to-day basis? In this episode of the College's podcast, Martin and Daniel talk to Dr Rachel Pilling, a Consultant Ophthalmologist at Bradford Teaching Hospitals and, along with  Dan Wadsworth, the co-founder of the '15 seconds, 30 minute' social movement - a movement designed to reduce frustration and spread joy at work....

In this episode of WebinarXtra, Daniel talks to Katie Harrop MCOptom - Professional Services Director for No7 Contact Lenses - about the use of scleral lenses as an alternative to commonly fitted contact lenses. Katie answers all those questions you were itching to ask during her webinar but didn't get the time to.  Members can watch a recording of the webinar and earn one non-interactive CET...

Our WebinarXtra episodes cover 'Xtra' questions there just wasn't time to answer during the live webinar. In this episode of WebinarXtra, Daniel talks to Consultant Ophthalmologist and Oculoplastic Surgeon, Raj Das-Bhaumik, about his recent webinar on suspicious lumps and bumps on the eyelids, with tips on which can be managed in practice and which need referring to the hospital eye service. ...

College Council member and optometrist,  Dr Parth Shah MCOptom,  takes over our airwaves for the final time in with his third COVID-themed podcast. In this episode, he talks to Sally Gosling, Director of Education at The College of Optometrists,  about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected optometrists’ professional roles, what they should be doing to respond to and take advantage...

Daniel loves all our podcasts, but he was particularly excited to have the opportunity to talk to Professor Alastair Denniston at our annual conference, Optometry Tomorrow, back in February. Both Daniel and Martin spoke to Alastair - a Consultant Ophthalmologist at the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust - about uveitis, and how advances in scanning and machine learning will revol...

In the UK there are around 7,300 new cases of retinal detachment every year, with many patients presenting with flashes and floaters to optometrists. In this episode of WebinarXtra, Daniel talks to Kam Balaggan - Consultant in Vitreoretinal Surgery, Medical Retina and Cataracts at Wolverhampton and Midland Counties Eye Infirmary - about the most common causes of retinal detachment and how to spot...

College Council member and optometrist Dr Parth Shah MCOptom continues his podcast takeover with part two of 'The Eyes and lows of lockdown'. In this episode, he talks to Ophthalmic Director and independent prescriber, Maninder Gudray MCOptom Dip TP(IP). They discuss the impact of COVID-19 on optical practices and what practice owners could be doing to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on their...

Daniel catches up with Angela Whitaker MCOptom following her webinar where she presented case studies from glaucoma clinical practice patients who have been diagnosed and managed by optometrists. Find out why patients’ increasing risk of sight loss requires increasing levels of qualification and experience in the health care professional who is caring for them. College members who missed the webin...

The COVID-19 lockdown seems to have given some people the opportunity to try their hand at new things. College Council member and optometrist Dr Parth Shah MCOptom has taken over our podcasts (temporarily, Parth!) and has produced a short series of three podcasts  - The eyes and lows of lockdown.  Parth and his guests will provide advice, support and ideas for your personal wellbeing, yo...

In this episode of WebinarXtra, Daniel talks to Kate Powell MCOptom, who answers questions from her recent webinar on diabetic retinopathy. The webinar was designed to help optometrists build their confidence in recognising the features of diabetic retinopathy, manage their patients, and learn how their role links with other aspects of diabetic patient eye care. Members of the College who missed t...

Professor Bernard Gilmartin FCOptom has very severe macular degeneration which has resulted in a dramatic loss of vision in one eye and threatens the vision in his other. He has undergone a prolonged and challenging battle that has involved extensive surgery in an attempt to save the vision in his only eye.  Martin spoke to Professor Gilmartin and Mr Kam Balaggan, his physician, back in Febru...

A little later than planned, this month we talk to the inspirational Professor Shahina Pardhan - the first female Professor of Optometry in the UK. Professor Pardhan talks to Martin and guest host, Dr Susan Blakeney FCOptom, about her experience, the obstacles she faced in her own career and what can be done to remove those barriers for future generations. Professor Pardhan edited this month's spe...

Optometry in Practice (OiP) Editor-in-Chief, Professor Leon Davies FCOptom, talks to Dr Jonathan Denniss MCOptom, one of the authors of a recent paper on the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in the detection and diagnosis of glaucoma. Jonathan talks about the strengths and limitations of using OCT for glaucoma diagnosis and gives practical advice on how OCT can be used by optometrists.&nb...

This month we look at a different aspect of optometry - eyewear trends through the ages. Following on from London Fashion week, Neil Handley, Curator of the College Museum, discusses the history of spectacles with Daniel, exploring their unique status as a medical device and fashion accessory. Neil also talks to Senior Tutor in Footwear Accessories and Millinery at the Royal College of Art, Flora...

In this episode of WebinarXtra, Professor Bruce Evans FCOptom replies to the member questions there wasn't enough time to answer during his recent webinar. The webinar covered diagnosis of binocular vision anomalies, how to identify and investigate conditions that can be treated by an optometrist, those that require referral, or do not require treatment. Members can watch a recording of...

In the first episode of 2020, Martin and Daniel introduce Jasleen Kaur Jolly MCOptom, optometrist and researcher working at the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Wellcome Integrative Neuroimaging centre, University of Oxford, and Oxford Eye Hospital. Jasleen talks to Martin about how she got into research, imposter syndrome, how gene therapy works, which conditions are closer to being treat...

WebinarXtra answers all those member questions we didn't have time to cover during our popular webinars. In this episode, Daniel talks to Adam Wannell MCOptom about glaucoma decision making. You can watch the webinar on the College's member learning area: https://learning.college-optometrists.org/course/view.php?id=208  

In November we published a hospital optometry special issue of Optometry in Practice (OiP) to coincide with the AOP Hospital Optometrists Annual Conference. The College's Director of Research, Michael Bowen, went along to the conference to talk to one of the authors from the special edition, Dr Vijay Anand MCOptom, Deputy Head of Optometry at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Trust. Dr Anand talks about...

In her recent webinar ( https://learning.college-optometrists.org/course/view.php?id=213 ), Polly Dully MCOptom advised members on how to interpret OCT results of several patients with common ocular pathologies, and how to differentiate normal from abnormal. In this episode of WebinarXtra, Daniel asks all those questions we didn’t have time to cover during the webinar.  Other available course...

In this episode, Daniel talks to Jane Johns, a retired health visitor living with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and Vanessa Camp, a Senior Eye Clinic Liaison Officer at York Hospital Trust. Jane talks candidly about her own experiences from diagnosis, or failure to diagnose, through to her current role as a volunteer speaker for the Macular Society (www.macularsociety.org/) . Vanessa adv...

New to our podcast, Daniel and Martin bring you WebinarXtra, where we answer all those member questions we didn’t have time to answer during our webinars. This time, we’re talking to Dr Nicola Logan MCOptom about myopia management. You can watch a recording of Dr Logan’s webinar on the College’s learning area: https://learning.college-optometrists.org/course/view.php?id=211