VP Academy proved to be a fantastic opportunity for those waiting to upgrade their education in optometry and earn CME points – while participating in the VisionPlus EXPO!
One of the big highlights of the VisionPlus EXPO was the special knowledge sessions planned by VP Academy. There were sessions planned by VP Academy – forum for eyecare professionals with study topics curated by some of the best in the region. Opticians, Optometrists and other members- of the optical trade gained extensively from these courses (also getting CME certifications approved by Dubai Health Authority).
This year the sessions also included a panel discussion that focussed on possible ways for the interprofessional collaboration between optometry and ophthalmology.
Day 1
The day kickstarted with a session on contact lenses by Nilesh Thite, Executive Manager of Educational Programs International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE). This was followed by a session on importance of corneal topography interpretation in optometry practice by Irene Sophia JosephM.Optom, FIAOMC, MBCLA, Research Scholar. The highlight of the first half was followed by a panel discussion on inter professional collaboration between optometry and ophthalmology. The panel featured stalwarts like Dr.Yazan Gammoh,Chair of Education Committee World Council of Optometry, Chair of Optometry Department Al Ahliyya Amman University; Nilesh Thite, Executive Manager of Educational Programs International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE) and Zachary Cairns, Deputy Head Optometrist, Moorfields Eye Hospital UAE.
Dr. Nisreen Hassan Alwan, Associate dean of Academic Affairs, Associate professor of Environmental Heath and SafetyCollege of Health Sciences Abu Dhabi University will be moderating the discussion.
Post lunch break, Dr.Yazan Gammoh, Chair of Education Committee World Council of Optometry, Chair of Optometry Department Al Ahliyya Amman University, conducted a session on myopia management. Devakani Suresh Kumar,Optometrist, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, spoke about methods to make primary optometry interesting. The day concluded with a session on keratoconus refraction by Zachary Cairns, Deputy Head Optometrist, Moorfields Eye Hospital, UAE.
Day 2
The lineup of celebrity speakers and the specially curated sessions on day 2 were a huge hit among the opticians. So much so, that opticians traveled from across the globe, adhered to all the pandemic-related protocol and attended the sessions – just because they did not want to miss out on the knowledge sharing.
The second day kick-started with a session on multifocal contact lenses by Nilesh Thite, Executive Manager of Educational Programs International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE).
Next was the session on effectiveness of iPad application in vision rehabilitation for children with vision impairment by Maisa Obeid, Msc Vision Rehabilitation UAE Country Representative For G3ict, Accessibility Consultant. Later, Dr. Christian Lappe from Zeiss Vision Care spoke about myopia management.
Post lunch, Mona Kazim, Special Needs & Learning Disabilities Consultant, spoke about vision rehabilitation for coloured contact lens users. Sharbel Abi Efrem , Optom EAOO, Customer Experience Manager, Head of Education HOYA SEIKO Partner Business EMEA, also spoke about the visual behavior of modern presbyopes.
The second day for VP Academy concluded with a session on specialized optometry practice with scleral lenses by Irene Sophia JosephM.Optom, FIAOMC, MBCLA, Research Scholar.
Day 3
The last day of VP Academy at the VisionPlus EXPO started with a session on Visual Behavior of Young Digital Generation, by Sharbel Abi Efrem, Optom EAOO, Customer Experience Manager, Head of Education HOYA SEIKO Partner Business EMEA. This was followed by a session on Prescribing Guidelines for Spectacles in Children by Dr. Jameel Rizwana Hussaindeen, M.Phil, PhD, FAAO, FCOVD-I Head– Rivoli Vision Academy, Rivoli Groups LLC, UAE.
Just before the audience broke for lunch Bahram Behrouzi Homa, BSc, OD Head of Professional Affairs at Bausch & Lomb, Vision Care, Middle East, Africa, Pakistan, hosted a session on Presbyopes & Contact lenses.The day ended with a session on integrating low vision into the practice by Dr.Yazan Gammoh, Chair of Education Committee World Council of Optometry, Chair of Optometry Department Al Ahliyya Amman University.
People from across the globe expressed interest and came forward to participate in the courses conducted by VP Academy.
The enthusiasm shown by the participants proved to be the inspiration to take the platform a notch higher at next year’s event.
