Beyond the consulting room Voluntary contributions ptical professionals are in an enviable position In the final part of our Beyond the consulting room series, when it comes to Mike Hale looks at the wide range of volunteering opportunities volunteering because they can offer skills and open to eye care professionals, at both home and abroad knowledge that can Omake a huge difference to people. In terms of helping people, improving, restoring or preserving vision must rank at the very top. When optical professionals travel to far flung countries to aid hundreds of people, play a part at international events like the Olympics or further their local community, the question really is, why wouldn’t you volunteer? One of the best known and most popular ways to volunteer is to do so through Vision Aid Overseas. The charity offers optometrists, dispensing opticians, optical technicians, optical assistants and ophthalmologists the opportunity to take part in short-term placements lasting two weeks. The placements involve joining a team of professionals working on a specific project suitable to the volunteer’s experience in one of the partner People travel from many miles away to attend the Slumdoctor project in Northen India countries, which are Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone opportunities. The next Volunteer cameras,’ says Paul. ‘The eye tests are and Uganda. Development Programme where done by optometrists at the usual pace ‘For over 27 years, Vision Aid new members will be able to learn and dispensing opticians take care of Overseas has utilised the skills of about going on projects will be held dispensing new glasses.’ optometry professionals in the UK – in the spring of 2013. Details will be Clinics are run for half-day sessions although we are looking to expand published on the VAO website (see of about four hours, with some held our volunteer base internationally in Useful Resources). in the mornings and some during the the future,’ comments Jeremy Jalie, afternoon. development director of VAO. Help for the homeless ‘We would love to do more days of ‘The roles our volunteers undertake Closer to home but no less vital or testing, but we need more volunteers are extremely varied. As well as rewarding to volunteer for is Vision to do so,’ says Paul. ‘A lot of volunteers directly helping patients, our teams Care for Homeless People (VCHP). do shifts on a monthly or fortnightly establish vision centres, undertake The charity is looking for optometrists, basis but people can do more or education and training activities and dispensing opticians, optical assistants help to provide support and experience and receptionists. to our partners.’ ‘As a charity we provide free eye tests USEFUL RESOURCES According to Jalie, the main focus of and brand new glasses to homeless and ● the short-term placements is helping other vulnerable people,’ comments Vision Aid Overseas local eye care workers to boost their managing director Harinder Paul. ‘The www.visionaidoverseas.org skills by providing short courses on service and facilities we provide are as ● Vision Care for Homeless People optometry or optics or mentoring eye good as those on the high street.’ www.visioncarecharity.org care workers in clinical practice. The eye tests and dispensing are Email: [email protected] ‘There are also opportunities to help carried out at clinics, which use ● Crisis establish vision centres by installing or permanent consulting rooms inside www.crisis.org.uk maintaining equipment and to work homeless centres. VCHP has three ● Glasgow 2014 alongside local clinicians working on clinics in London at Marylebone, www.glasgow2014.com outreach programmes,’ he adds. Shepherd’s Bush and Liverpool ● Shehzad Naroo VAO also runs long-term placements Street; one in Brighton and one in Email: [email protected] which are usually financially Birmingham. supported. Completing a short-term ‘The clinics are kitted out just like ● Slumdoctor placement is a good first step for a high street practice, all have top end www.slumdoctor.co.uk people interested in pursuing these equipment and most have fundus 22 | Optician | 30.11.12 opticianonline.net Beyond the consulting room ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME opportunitY machines, slit lamps, tonometers and Test he London Olympics held during the Chart 2000.’ Tsummer was a once-in-a-lifetime opportu- In terms of cases, Hall says while the nity for many different people, from athletes majority of athletes presenting were healthy to spectators. Optometrist Lucy Hall (pictured) and just needed refractive correction, there volunteered to serve as part of the eye clinic were some more unusual cases. in the athletes’ village in Stratford. ‘I personally saw a couple of patients with ‘I applied via an application process that retinal problems caused by sports such as started in 2010 for all potential gamesmak- boxing. I saw two people with central serous ers,’ says Hall. ‘I had an interview along with retinopathy that I could take images and give other potential volunteers from all sorts of them info to take to a medical professional medical professions at the Excel in London. in their own country. In the clinic we did see After being accepted I then attended three a man with trachoma. This is caused by lack training sessions, both role specific and of clean water and so this is not something venue specific, in 2011 and early 2012. Then we would normally see in the UK. We were I went for training at the athletes’ village able to refer to our on-site ophthalmology medical centre a month or so before the colleagues for treatment immediately. athletes arrived.’ ‘I also saw a young teenage swimmer from Hall was able to take unpaid leave from Burkina Faso who had developed very young her work at the Boots practice in Canterbury, onset macular drusen. I was able to give her Kent in order to fulfil the training and also some information and advice on this.’ during the games itself. The clinic ran from For Hall the experience goes down as one two weeks before the start of the games of the best of her life. until one week after the Paralympics. During ‘I met so many interesting people and this time Hall was part of the optometry their clinics on in 2016.’ athletes from countries all over the world. team that included optometrists, dispensing The eye service, designed by David I also met some great optometry people opticians and contact lens opticians. Thomson and Penny D’Ath, was part of a who I am still in touch with and would count ‘We either did a 6am to 3pm shift or a 3pm wider polyclinic that offered a full range of among my friends. It was great to share this to 11pm shift. My role was to carry out full services from primary care to podiatry and once in a lifetime opportunity with them. eye tests and contact lens checks on athletes dentistry. As part of the legacy of the games, Sometimes when you are working in a high and their teams. The dispensing team then the polyclinic has become a primary care street practice full time seeing 18 patients a organised glasses for those that needed clinic. ‘The facilities were amazing,’ comments day you can forget the joy of doing the job. them. The clinic was extremely busy – we had Hall. It was a real showcase for British optom- Volunteering for something like the Olympics no idea what numbers to expect. We have etry. The equipment included OCT, Optomap, gives an amazing sense of satisfaction and hopefully provided some info for Rio to base fundus cameras, corneal topographers, fields helps so many other people.’ less than that too. There is no preset is welcome to drop in or arrange an be to provide essential eye care services requirement; we do whatever works observation day to find out more. which will allow individuals to for the individual.’ ‘The patients tend to present a higher perform their roles at the Games,’ says Paul is keen to set straight some incidence of dry eye and foreign bodies Angela Carson, lead optometry expert common misconceptions about the because they are outdoors a lot. They for Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth experience of testing homeless people. may not be seeing their GPs regularly Games. ‘People often think it is going to so identification of diabetes and high ‘This includes athletes, games family, be difficult to test homeless people blood pressure can be made from time workforce and media. The feedback and this usually comes down to two to time.’ from those involved in the clinic at main issues. The first is that they are Optometry students are encouraged the London 2012 Olympics was that concerned about personal hygiene to volunteer in a supporting role. they had a fantastic time. We want to problems and I can say that with During the Christmas period VCHP replicate this in Glasgow – so volunteer the vast majority of our patients will be lining up with national and be part of something special.’ you wouldn’t be able to tell they are homeless charity Crisis with the aim Similarly to the Olympics, optometry homeless in that respect. Most live in of doing double shifts and testing 250 services will be sited within a half-way houses with facilities and people. polyclinic at the athletes’ village. There even those who do sleep rough have For more information go to the are volunteering roles for optometrists, access to showers through services and website listed in Useful Resources. dispensing opticians, ophthalmologists charities. and optometric assistants. Applications ‘The second factor is safety. Most of Fun and games open in mid-January 2013, but it is our volunteers are female and we’ve As Lucy Hall (see panel above) testifies possible to register interest now at never had any problems in terms of volunteering for an eye care role at www.glasgow2014.com.