 It was a privilege and a pleasure to host the Warrnambool Winter Symposium on the 22nd of August 2019. A gathering of 20 regional optometrists (representing all the Optometry practices in the Southwest and Western Districts of Victoria), clinical staff and industry representatives assembled for a cosy dinner on a cold August evening, at the Lady Bay Hotel Warrnambool, to hear about the latest developments in treatment of Age-related Macular Degeneration (or AMD, as well as Diabetic Macular Oedema and Retinal Vein Occlusions) and Refractive Surgery. The meeting was approved for 2 CPD points by Optometry Australia.
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I was invited to present a lecture on the management of Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) at the Lady Bay Conference Centre at the end of July. The meeting was attended by GPs in Warrnambool and surrounding districts, as well as industry representatives. The intent of the DR Insight meeting is to accelerate awareness amongst General Practititioners about DR screening pathways in primary care settings. Welch Allyn and Mylan Pharmaceuticals, as part of the Keep-Sight program https://www.keepsight.org.au/, host multiple educational events across regional Australia. The educational events include a presentation delivered by an Ophthalmologist and an Endocrinologist (Dr Shannon McCarthy, Epworth Geelong) along with hands on experience with the RetinaVue device to increase awareness of DR screening & demonstrate the unique telehealth component of the RetinaVue camera.  Zovirax® (aciclovir) 3% eye ointment will be discontinued and deleted from the market in February 2019 after GSK ceased manufacturing in the 3rd quarter of 2018.
When existing supplies of Zovirax® (aciclovir) 3% eye ointment are exhausted the following options may be considered:
*Please note that I have made arrangements for the Pharmacy Departments at St John of God Hospital and South West Health Care to ensure they carry stocks of AciVision® for prescribers in Warrnambool. Patients will simply need to present their prescriptions to access the drug. I will be speaking to Pharmacy Departments in Colac and Hamilton soon to ensure this brand of aciclovir is made available. If prescribers have difficulty accessing this drug for their patients, please contact me directly - Dr Vincent Lee.  Dr Vincent Lee was an invited speaker at a Bayer sponsored event - "The Health Challenges of an Ageing Population" held at the Quorum, Warrnambool on 7 August 2018. The meeting was attended by General Practitioners, Pharmacists and Nurses. Dr Lee spoke about the skyrocketing prevalence of diabetes and its impact on the health of the population, not just the elderly, but also the young, due to Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) and Diabetic Macular Oedema (DMO) are the two main eye complications of the disease which can potentially lead to moderate to severe loss of vision if undetected and untreated MIGS arrives in Western Victoria There is finally some relief in sight for glaucoma sufferers in Western Victoria with the arrival of Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS). Dr Vincent Lee recently delivered a lecture on ‘MIGS Treatment Algorithms’ to a group of 15 Optometrists from the region. The lecture, on 20 March 2018, was organized through Optometry Victoria Director, Mr Jayson Ward of Warrnambool and Portland Eye Care, and held at the Lady Bay Resort in Warrnambool. Attending Optometrists received 3 CPD points, as approved by Optometry Victoria.   The iStent Inject is expected to help glaucoma sufferers by reducing their dependence of eye drops and, in some cases, completely eliminate the need for them. This is the first, widely available MIGS (Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery) device in Australia and was formally approved by the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) Australia, earlier this year, in 2016.  At the invitation of Glaukos Australia, Dr Vincent Lee presented a lecture to Optometrists, GPs and other specialists, at Warrnambool's Lady Bay Resort, on the advent of MIGS and the iStent Inject.
 Dr Lee delivered a presentation on Corneal Foreign Body Removal to a group of 14 Optometrists from the Western District of Victoria on November 2015. The Workshop was organised by Optometry Australia and held at the Lady Bay Resort, Warrnambool.
Patients are now reimbursed by Medicare for having this procedure performed by Optometrists. This represents formal recognition of the excellent work that had been done by many, but that had not been reimbursed, up till this time. Dr Lee's lecture focussed not just on the finer points regarding the techniques used in FB removal, but also on the importance of recognising other conditions that can mimic corneal foreign bodies. He presented a systematic clinical approach to managing patients presenting with foreign body symptoms that would allow Optometrists to eliminate other potentially sight threatening conditions and proceeded to describe best-practice methods of foreign body removal and complete after care. For more information on the event, click the link below to access the Optometry Australia webpage: |
AuthorDr Vincent Lee, 
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