Continuing education CET

References 1 ABDO Advice and Guidelines Sections Multiple-choice questions – take part at opticianonline.net 2.11.1 and 2.11.2 www.abdo.org.uk 2 British Standards EN166- What is the most likely lens material for a What proportion of the 87,000 gardening 2002/167/168 Personal eye-protection 1safety appliance ocular marked F? 4related injuries per year affected the – specifications/optical test methods/non- A CR39 standard thickness head or face? optical test methods. BSI London. B CR39 increased thickness A Nearly 4 per cent 3 Norville Protective Eyewear. www. C Toughened glass B Nearly 10 per cent norville.co.uk D Polycarbonate C Nearly 20 per cent 4 Moffat T. Safety and protective eyewear D Nearly 40 per cent – a reference guide for ABDO members, According to EN standards, medium ABDO London 2010. 2impact resistance is tested by: The letter N appears, among others, on a 5 DIY Health Risk: College of A 22mm, 43g steel ball at 5.1m/s 5safety lens. This indicates it has: Optometrists/Knowledge Centre/News/ B 6mm, 0.86g steel ball at 45m/s A Non-fogging properties www.college-optmetrists.org.uk August C 6mm, 0.86g steel ball at 120m/s B Non-scratching properties D 6mm, 0.86g steel ball at 190m/s C Non-distortion properties 2010. D Non-melting properties 6 ‘What are the most common garden According to RoSPA, what is the accidents?’ FAQs/www.rospa.com July 3estimated number of DIY related eye A pair of industrial safety spectacles is 2010. injuries per year? 6brought to you to replace the side screw. 7 Freeman S. Lifestyle dispensing Part 1. A 3,000 What is the most appropriate course of action? Optician, 2011,Vol 241no 6302, Table 1 B 30,000 A Return the appliance to the original supplier page 18. C 300,000 for repair 8 Association of Optometrists Handbook. D 3,000,000 B Transfer the lenses to another safety frame Section C70. London 2009. of the same model C Replace the screw from your stock ● Stephen Freeman is an optometrist D Transfer the lenses to a similar frame that will based in the South West. He provides hold the lenses learning support and lectures to various clinical training programmes and ABDO. Successful participation in this module counts as one credit towards the GOC CET scheme He is a practical examiner for ABDO administered by Vantage and one towards the Association of Optometrists Ireland’s scheme. and an examiner and assessor for the The deadline for responses is September 8 2011 College of Optometrists

Optical connections The Pince-Nez mystery David Baker reveals an optical novel is still waiting to be written. consultations. His first Sherlock Considering the optical connection Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, was connection to Sir Arthur Conan under discussion, there is a wonderful published in 1887. Doyle’s famous detective irony in the fact that it was Conan Then, in 1890, Conan Doyle Doyle’s complete lack of success in decided to study ophthalmology, his ophthalmology practice that led travelling to Vienna, one of the great t would not be too difficult to him to pursue his writing career at the centres of the subject at that time, find references to spectacles expense of his medical one. He had and Paris. On his return to England, or eyesight in literature, but studied medicine at the University he set up an ophthalmology practice instances of optical appliances of Edinburgh from 1876 to 1881, in London at Upper Wimpole Street, providing the pivotal moment gaining experience working in Aston near Harley Street. This created of a story seem to be somewhat and Sheffield during this time. It another opportunity for writing as, Irare. That Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is was also during this period that he according to his autobiography, not responsible for one example should began writing and had his first short a single patient crossed his door. His be of little surprise, since at one stage stories published. On completing his literary success was assured by the in his medical career he specialised in doctorate in 1885 he became a partner popularity of the Sherlock Holmes ophthalmology. Indeed he entitled this in a medical practice in Plymouth, but stories and he was able to give up particular Sherlock Holmes short story the arrangement was not successful; medicine to write full time. The Adventure of The Golden Pince-Nez. so he left, with very little money to The Adventure of the Golden Pince- There is another example, from the his name, to start his own practice Nez was one of the short stories once-popular 1930s ‘Dr Thorndyke’ in Southsea, Portsmouth. As might collected in The Return of Sherlock series of stories, of a pair of bifocals – be expected in a brand new practice, Holmes, published in 1904. The tale most likely Franklin splits – providing initially patients were thin on the concerns the murder of a young man an important clue; otherwise, it would ground and Conan Doyle began who is found clutching ‘a golden appear that the great optical mystery writing again to fill the time between pince-nez, with two broken ends of opticianonline.net 12.08.11 | Optician | 21 Optical connections

Sherlock has not been there more than a few Holmes as months. They exactly correspond, so I played by gather the lady went back to the same the late establishment for the second.’ ITV/Rex Features ITV/Rex Jeremy Without wishing to spoil the Brett story’s ending, it is safe to say that the murderess’s uncorrected myopia, through the loss of her pince-nez, is what leads to her making the error that results in her capture.

‘Spectacles is spectacles’ R Austin Freeman, a London-born doctor, created his detective, Dr Thorndyke, in homage to Sherlock Holmes. As a barrister and doctor, Thorndyke was versed in law and forensic science. But there is another twist to these stories, for Freeman is credited with what might be called the ‘Columbo-style’ of inverted detective story where the crime and the perpetrator are described first. In Dr Thorndyke Intervenes (1933), Thorndyke is questioning a witness about a suspect’s appearance; having established that he’s a spectacle wearer, Thorndyke probes for detail: ‘I dunno,’ replied Bunter. ‘Spectacles is spectacles. I ain’t an optician.’ ‘Some spectacles are large,’ said Thorndyke, ‘and some are small. Some black silk cord dangling from the end these. That they belong to a woman are round and some are oval, and of it.’ His last words were, ‘It was I infer from their delicacy, and also, some have a line across as if they had she!’ Since the victim had excellent of course, from the last words of the been cracked. Would his fit any of eyesight, the appliance must have dying man. As to her being a person these descriptions?’ been snatched from the murderer’s of refinement and well dressed, they ‘Why yes, now you come to mention face. Let Dr Watson take up the story: are, as you perceive, handsomely it. They was big round spectacles with ‘Sherlock Holmes took the glasses mounted in solid gold, and it is a sort of crack across them. But it into his hand and examined them inconceivable that anyone who wore couldn’t have been a crack because it with the utmost attention and such glasses could be slatternly in was the same in both eyes. I’d forgotten interest. He held them on his nose, other respects. You will find that them before you spoke.’ endeavoured to read through them, the clips are too wide for your nose, Thorndyke’s Watson-like assistant went to the window and stared up the showing that the lady’s nose was very concludes that ‘he had mentioned a street with them, looked at them most broad at the base.’ very uncommon kind of spectacles – minutely in the full light of the lamp, As to the lenses, Holmes explains the old-fashioned type of bifocal, which and finally, with a chuckle, seated as follows: ‘My own face is a narrow is hardly ever made now … I had himself at the table and wrote a few one, and yet I find that I cannot get no doubt … that he was describing a lines upon a sheet of paper: Wanted, my eyes into the centre, or near the particular pair of spectacles.’ a woman of good address, attired like centre of these glasses. Therefore, the There can be no doubt, though, a lady. She has a remarkably thick lady’s eyes are set very near to the that Conan Doyle is the premier nose, with eyes that are set close up on sides of the nose. You will perceive, optical-literary connection, as one of either side of it. She has a puckered Watson, that the glasses are concave the world’s most famous authors. So forehead, a peering expression, and and of unusual strength. A lady consider once more Conan Doyle probably rounded shoulders. There are whose vision has been so extremely sitting in his consulting room in indications that she has had recourse contracted all her life is sure to have Upper Wimpole Street, flush with the to an optician at least twice during the the physical characteristics of such latest knowledge in ophthalmology. last few months. As her glasses are of vision, which are seen in the forehead, Balancing the conspicuous absence remarkable strength, and as opticians the eyelids, and the shoulders.’ of patients with the money coming are not very numerous, there should And the double visit to the optician? in from the Holmes stories, Conan be no difficulty in tracing her.’ Says Holmes: ‘…the clips are lined Doyle’s making the conclusion that How did Holmes come to these with tiny bands of cork to soften the ophthalmology’s loss would be conclusions? Let him tell us himself: pressure upon the nose. One of these literature’s gain would be, of course, ‘It would be difficult to name any is discoloured and worn to some slight elementary. ● articles which afford a finer field extent, but the other is new. Evidently for inference than a pair of glasses, one has fallen off and been replaced. ● David Baker is an independent especially so remarkable a pair as I should judge that the older of them optometrist

24 | Optician | 12.08.11 opticianonline.net