Post from the president

Up-skilling at the ABDO Clinical Conference practical day

The ABDO 2024 Clinical Conference practical days held at our National Resource Centre in Birmingham last month were every bit as successful as promised.

I was delighted to welcome members on both days, and pleased to hear that so many were planning to undertake the newly-launched ABDO Professional Certificate in Paediatric Eyecare. I look forward to hearing how they progress through the course.

At the time of writing, I was preparing to attend the 30th Specsavers Professional Advancement Conference, open to all wherever they work. It’s always good to understand the motivations, challenges and aspirations of our members whether they are students or fully qualified – and such optical conferences and exhibitions are always full of positivity and a hunger to learn.

World Diabetes Day is on 14 November this year, providing the opportunity for practices to remind patients of the importance of an eye examination in recognising the signs and symptoms of diabetes, and managing the risks to their vision.

Having recently written a CPD article on driving and vision, I am pleased to see that Road Safety Week will be held from 17-23 November. Have you asked your patients about their driving vision lately? For example, are they troubled by bright headlights? Are they seeing their dashboard clearly? Are they driving at night and/or during the day with that low sun? This is the perfect time to discuss the topic, and offer them any suitable visual solutions. Do visit the Eyecare FAQ section of the ABDO website and utilise all the patient-facing resources available, including those for our December charity advent.

As 2024 draws to a close, I’d like to thank everyone for their hard work in bringing several major projects to fruition this year – namely the paediatric eyecare certificate, the dispensing optician apprenticeship, and the updated syllabus for the contact lens diploma. As this is my final column of the year, I’d also like to wish all our members and colleagues a very happy, healthy, successful and productive year ahead.

As always, please feel free to contact me direct by emailing kgutsell@abdo.org.uk – and I look forward to seeing you at the next event.