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college news QUARTERLY BULLETIN JULY EDITION 2017 2017 Annual Congress captured in images PAGES 4-5 Alström Syndrome New Award Museum Piece PAGE 12 Advancing PAGE 21 New Primer PAGE 11 diagnosis, care, Fellowship Awards The Olympian treatment and support of £60,000 Ophthalmologist college news Dear fellow members, It is a great honour to have been elected as the twelfth Contents President of The Royal College of Ophthalmologists, and I am very 4 Congress in images grateful for this opportunity to lead 7 Focus Complications of strabismus surgery our College for the next three years. 11 Museum Piece Whatever challenges we face, whether Capturing the Past they be to the NHS or to our Profession, I 12 Alström Syndrome Advancing diagnosis, intend to continue to deliver the resolute care, treatment and leadership of my predecessor, Professor support Carrie MacEwen, who has been an 14 Eye journal Editor’s inspirational leader of our College. I was There are no easy solutions to these issues. Choice from second quarter 2017 fortunate to have the opportunity to work We can begin by sharing and adopting with Carrie at the College in my previous best practice in order to optimise care 18 Ophthalmologists in Training Indirect role as Chair of the Scientific Committee, and minimise inefficiency. This includes Laser - Top Tips and I believe that we share the same core working collaboratively with our nursing, 23 Diary Dates values and beliefs. optometric and orthoptic colleagues. We have to justify and campaign for both Those of you who attended Congress will additional manpower and the space be aware that my children, influenced by Don’t forget to to work. The latter is now the major recent world politics, felt it appropriate follow us on Twitter: constraint on service development in to present me with a red baseball cap @rcophth many eye departments. I believe that embroidered with the words ‘Make our College has a pivotal role in raising Ophthalmology Great Again’. Grateful these issues nationally and in developing Articles and information to though I was for this unexpected gift, be considered for publication solutions. should be sent to: I believe that they were misinformed. Ophthalmology is already great. Despite I encourage you all to become more Liz Price Communications Manager the pressures we work under, it remains a involved with your College. By doing so [email protected] privilege and joy to restore sight to you will help to maintain and develop Copy deadlines the blind. our profession. You will also gain a wider October 2017 edition: perspective of ophthalmology throughout 22 September 2017 Unfortunately, we are all too aware of the the UK and abroad. Let us work together January 2018 edition: challenges to our profession. Traditional 24 November 2017 to shape the future. NHS hospitals appear unable to respond April 2018 edition: 2 March 2018 sufficiently rapidly to the growing July 2017 edition: demands of an increasing and aging 1 June 2017 population. New and ever more effective Editor of Focus: treatments are always welcomed, but Mike Burdon, President Mr Andrew Tatham require additional resources. In many [email protected] Advertising queries should areas of the country outside agencies are be directed to: Robert Sloan being recruited to provide eye care. Whilst 07963 187 583 they may help to address the immediate [email protected] service pressures, they frequently have Contact Details: a long-term impact on existing eye The Royal College of Ophthalmologists departments and their ability to train the 18 Stephenson Way next generation of ophthalmologists. London, NW1 2HD T. 020 7935 0702 2 THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF OPHTHALMOLOGISTS QUARTERLY BULLETIN | JULY EDITION 2017 The Lay Advisory Group sends their Chairman Tom Bremridge their warm thanks and very best wishes as he leaves the RCOphth in July Tom had a distinguished career in the Army, retiring as a Brigadier, before joining the Macular Society as CEO and then as the Lay Advisory Group (LAG) Chair in 2013. Tom has been a very popular and hard-working Chair and a strong figurehead for the LAG, evidenced by the amount of work that the group now covers, which takes a good degree of co-ordinating! His contribution has been considerable in making LAG into what our former President Carrie MacEwen described as ‘a model of how patients and lay members can contribute meaningfully to College work that will always remain as my gold standard.’ Tom also helped to develop and support the RCOphth’s Strategic plan, represented LAG and patients’ interests at Council, as a part II examiner, whilst continuing to lead and motivate the LAG by example and with his particular blend of intelligence and charm. Much good work for the RCOphth has been completed by the LAG in the last four years, including writing the response to the AoMRC consultation ‘Doctors working for the wider NHS’ which is very supportive of ophthalmologists. Tom’s humour and energy will be much missed by the lay group members, as well as his occasional stern moments which kept us in line!! The Lay Group CVI has been updated – important changes that all ophthalmologists should be aware of Working in partnership with The Royal College of This allows consultant ophthalmologists flexibility in their Ophthalmologists, RNIB and others, the Department of Health professional judgement whether to certify a person as sight has updated the Certificate of Vision Impairment and revised impaired or severely sight impaired. The Notes also explicitly the Explanatory Notes. The key objectives have been: remind doctors that patients who are certified must not drive and of their duty to take action where patients continue to drive • To simplify the form, collecting only essential information when they are not safe to do so. • To make it easier and quicker for ophthalmologists and eye The RCOphth encourages all ophthalmologists to familiarise clinic staff to complete themselves and their teams with the revised guidance, to use • To have a single CVI form for both adults and children only the updated form and to destroy stocks of the old form. • To provide better information to patients and their carers Please look out for the CVI update in the regular members’ about sources of support e-newsletter Eye-mail and on the RCOphth website. For England, Wales and Northern Ireland, it has been Nick Wilson-Holt acknowledged that the previous ‘work test’ is no longer Consultant Ophthalmologist, Royal Cornwall Hospital relevant or appropriate, and the criteria for certification, based on visual acuity and visual field have been clarified in the Explanatory Notes, emphasising importantly that these are for guidance only. 3 college news 1,486 Delegates across all four days of Congress 303 Individual talks and lectures An excellent Over 211 3,450 posters showcased lunches were served 1,400 Tweets using #RCOphth2017, increase of 60% on last year 4 THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF OPHTHALMOLOGISTS QUARTERLY BULLETIN | JULY EDITION 2017 Thank you to all 259 speakers 40 Number of exhibitors 1,787 Unique visitors to the Congress app Thank you to our 22 poster judges 5 college news Make your clinical practice more evidence-based Book a place now at the first ‘Research Changes Jugnoo Rahi commented, ‘Many aspects of eyes and vision Lives’ two-day seminar that will help you learn how to research in the UK is world leading but The Royal College of both generate and apply high quality research evidence Ophthalmologists recognises the need to strengthen academic to your clinical practice and your eye services. ophthalmology in all its forms. This seminar is a College initiative to enable clinicians to engage in research and to use research The seminar programme has been organised by Phillippa evidence more effectively to improve care and services.’ Cumberland and Jugnoo Rahi, GOS Institute of Child Health Research changes lives – How to generate and apply high- UCL. This has been in response to the need for training in these quality evidence to your practice - 15 & 16 November 2017 skills and is tailored to the needs of ophthalmic clinicians. Day one: Practice changing research: An overview of research The vital role of research in underpinning service provision design and implementation, evidence appraisal and synthesis and planning in the NHS is well established, with a recognition that patients have better outcomes when managed in NHS Day two: The ABC of ophthalmic statistics: An overview of the services or organisations that have a strong research profile. role of statistics in ophthalmic research and use of appropriate As well as providing the evidence that allows those working approaches to statistical analysis in health and healthcare policy to make better choices and decisions, research provides key information for the public and Book your place soon to avoid missing out via www.rcophth. our patients. ac.uk/events-and-courses/ NIHR Clinical Research Network Ophthalmology Symposium, ARVO 2017, Baltimore, USA research networks, and how this can specifically facilitate international research collaboration. Douglas Jabs, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, Mount Sinai Medical School (New York, USA), spoke next, giving a personal insight of his positive experience of collaboration with the NIHR in delivery of the Multicenter Uveitis Steroid Treatment (MUST) trials. He explained that UK sites had proved highly efficient in achieving their recruitment targets, and expressed a strong desire to continue his collaboration with NHS eye departments for future research. After a short break for lunch and networking, there were further presentations from Professor Sobha Sivaprasad, Mr Praveen The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) held a Patel, Mr Philip Hykin and Professor Simon Harding, each lunchtime meeting at the recent Association for Research in discussing their own experiences of NIHR-supported clinical Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) conference in Baltimore, research within the NHS.