NEW HEIGHTS IN LOW VISION: 3 STEPS THAT YOU CAN TAKE TO ADDRESS LOW VISION CHALLENGES- By Charlie Saccarelli Want to hear a sad truth? Roughly 5.7% of Canadian adults suffer from visual impairment. And, the reality is that many of these patients will not get access to simple, life-changing devices that can address their vision needs.
Why? Because eye doctors and opticians are trained to rely on glasses to remedy visual problems.
But what happens when a patient’s visual acuity cannot be corrected with glasses? Low vision.
As you can imagine, life pretty much sucks for these patients because their visual impairment prevents them from
partaking in the activities they enjoy like driving, reading, watching tv, knitting, cooking, playing parcheesi, and studying the delicate features of their grandchildren’s faces.
And that’s not all. While we’re doling out misery, here’s another sad truth: many opticians falsely believe that they are not qualified to help low vision patients and that low vision care is restricted only to doctors and other eyecare specialists.
As I shall demonstrate in this article, this is simply not the case.
Okay, enough of the sad feels. Let’s move onto something positive. What’s the good news in the aforementioned scenario?
You.
That’s right. You are the good news here because, as an optician, you already have the knowledge and skills to help low vision patients improve their quality of life. You just need the right process to help patients address low vision challenges. [Read More...]
INTRODUCTION OF A NEW MEMBER BENEFIT AND OAC PARTNER
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OAC Members can now benefit from a $50 one time set up fee reduced from $199.00 and 50% off base run fee.
For more information, please contact Kyle Campbell, Payroll Sales Specialist at Deluxe Payroll, about this special OAC offer: Cell 416-845-1875 | Office 519-621-3570
World Sight Day (WSD) is an annual day of awareness co-ordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment. This year, the call to action for World Sight Day is: Hope in Sight
Globally in 2020:
• At least 2.2 billion people have a vision impairment that may or may not be addressed[i]. • Of those, at least 1 billion people have a vision impairment that could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed • In addition, 2.6 billion people have myopia, including 312 million children under 19 years of age • Additionally, millions of people are living with eye conditions that increase their risk of sight loss:
- 196 million people living with age-related macular degeneration - 146 million people living with diabetic retinopathy - 76 million people living with glaucoma - 2.5 million people living with trachomatous trichiasis - 277 million people living with high myopia
• Vast inequities exist in the distribution of vision impairment; the prevalence in many low- and middle-income regions is estimated to be four times higher than in high-income regions
• The burden tends to be greater in rural areas and for older people, women, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities and indigenous populations
Raise awareness by spreading the word online using the hashtags #WorldSightDay, #HopeInSight, #WSD2020, and IAPB’s promotional material including logos, social media messages and visuals. CLICK HERE for more information.
[i] WRV - From i) the global magnitude of near vision impairment (Fricke et al. [2018] (8)) and; ii) the global magnitude and causes of bilateral distance vision impairment and blindness (the Vision Loss Expert Group;* Bourne et al. [2017]) (15, 16)).
FREAKY FRIDAY’S IN OCTOBER
For the month of October, the OAC is introducing FREAKY FRIDAY’S. Each Friday in October, we will post a frightening image and message about cosmetic contact lenses for you to share on your business or personal social media pages. Let’s spread the word about the importance of seeing a Licensed Optician when considering any type of contact lenses for your eyes.
“GET THE REAL THING” CONTEST
Transitions Optical has launched a promotion to drive awareness about the importance of making sure patients receive authentic Transitions® lenses when purchasing Transitions photochromic lenses. The “Get the Real Thing” promotion rewards select eyecare professionals and patients for registering their lenses using the Transitions lens Certificate of Authenticity (COA) after receiving their lenses. The promotion will run from September 1st through December 2020. The contest asks eyecare professionals to give patients a COA when dispensing their Transitions lenses. The eyecare professional should show the patient the registration field and instructions, including the ECP’s location ID number on the back of the COA. The patient should register their lenses on the Transitions Certificate of Authenticity page, including their ECP’s location ID. Once registered, patients are eligible to receive one (1) monthly prize, including Bose® SoundLink® II wireless headphones. Eyecare professionals are eligible to win Transitions lens branded gift packs. ECPs interested in receiving additional marketing resources to promote the contest, including a flyer, small posters and social media visuals, can contact Transitions customer service at cscanada@transitions.com
UPCOMING LIVE WEBCASTS
SPECIALTY SYMPOSIUM 2020 October 18th, 2020 | Up to 5 CE credits | Register Here LES OPTICIENS RECONNECTENT(French Speaking Event) Nov. 1st to Nov. 8th | Up to 5 CE credits On Demand | FREE | More details to come OAC MONTHLY WEBCASTS November 15th | Up to 1 CE credit | FREE | More details to come December 15th | Up to 1 CE credit | FREE | More details to come
This presentation outlines the difference between visual acuity and visual performance. It also covers the techniques and applications of this training.
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