Super Sunday focuses on growing market in optometry

The CPD event is hosted annually by the NSW/ACT branch of Optometry Australia, and this year, the organiser decided to structure the conference program around a specific the.Optometry NSW/ACT chief executive officer Mr Andrew McKinnon explained that although Australia’s population was undoubtedly growing older, the ageing eye was an area that optometrists had not traditionally been enthused about . [In selecting the conference the,] we were trying very deliberately to show there is some real clinical excitent available in people with the ageing eye [and] that there is some real potential for the profession to grow in providing care into that market in the future, he said. We specifically targeted speakers whom we thought could add value to that the. The outcome was a program that really resonated with people. One of the most popular presentations was the plenary session on mental illness in optometric practice delivered by psychologist Ms Rachel Clents. Ms Clents discussed mental health generally, but also provided practical advice on how optometrists could assist patients who might be dealing with mental health issues.Another well-attended session was presented by retinal ophthalmologist Dr Simon Chen, who talked about how the retina changes over the years between birth and death.The Super Sunday conference was also preceded by two workshops held on Saturday 28 May, which explored low vision and differential diagnosis of the ageing eye, respectively.With 482 delegates, this year’s event fell just short of the sold-out, 500-attendee maximum recorded in the two preceding years, but Mr McKinnon said the feedback had been the best we’ve ever had . The commentary we’ve had from delegates has been exceedingly positive, he said. We were very happy with it. When asked about Super Sunday 2017, Mr McKinnon said Optometry NSW/ACT was excited to be co-locating with the inaugural SILMO Sydney optical fair at the new International Convention Centre (ICC).The ICC, located on Sydney’s Darling Harbour, is currently under construction and is expected to open in February 2017. Having already visited the site, Mr McKinnon said the venue would be a sensation . The way the venue has been constructed will give us a chance to do a number of [new] things with Super Sunday 2017, he commented. We’re going to look at doing things a little differently so that it becomes a unique SILMO experience, not just a copy of Super Sunday. It will be the same basic format but we’re just going to tweak it a bit and see if we can make it a little bit more interesting. Super Sunday 2017 will take place on 12 March, immediately following SILMO Sydney, which will be held from 9 to 11 March.