Masterclass in childhood myopia management

Run by the UM’s Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, the two-day interactive course will provide practical insight into contporary myopia managent from experienced researchers and clinicians.The program, coordinated by Dr Laura Downie, will involve a combination of lectures, case scenarios, collaborative discussions and workshops. It will also include a practical, clinic-based session to provide a hands-on experience with orthokeratology contact lens fitting.The course is especially timely given research presented as recently as the ARVO-Asia conference in Brisbane last month confirmed a clear increase in the prevalence of myopia worldwide from around 1970 onwards.Multiple studies that have investigated this trend – including Rose et al., 2008 and more recently Mani, Adam et al., 2017 – have linked time spent indoors with aberrant over-growth of the eye, and Australian children were again ranked as some of the least active in the world in the 2016 Active Healthy Kids Australia Report Card.The course will take place on 17-18 June at the UM Parkville campus and costs $990 for registration on or before 1 May, and $1,320 thereafter. Catering, course materials and a certificate of attendance will be provided.Meanwhile, Downie is also inviting practice optometrists to participate in an online survey related to research investigating the way Australian optometrists currently manage childhood myopia. The survey will conclude on 24 March.