Carmen Abesamis, OD, (left) from the Philippines and Dr. Foo (right), speaking at at one of the joint OD-OMDs conferences held in Da Nang, Vietnam to foster collaboration between ODs and OMDs. Dr. Foo says these kinds of collaborations enhance care for patients and professional opportunities for doctors.
Optometrist and ophthalmologist collaboration for myopia management.
By Li Lian Foo, MD
July 10, 2024
I believe the need for optometrists and ophthalmologists to collaborate is getting stronger.
On social media, like LinkedIn, we have a vibrant community of ophthalmologists and optometrists who are prepared to work together to create a better future for our patients.
The question is: how can we take this instinct to collaborate even further, making it more meaningful for our patients and practices?
Exciting New Collaboration
Hence, I am happy to share the recent ground-breaking collaboration between Singapore National Eye Centre and Singapore Polytechnic, where we hosted an unprecedented joint event.
We had expert optometrist, Oliver Woo, OD, from Australia, who joined us to deliver a Fundamental Orthokeratology course for eyecare professionals, including surgeons, opticians and optometrists.
Joint Curriculum, Relevant to Both ODs & OMDs
Through the exceptional collaboration and support of eyecare professionals and educators from both institutions, we curated a highly comprehensive course, covering topics such as patient selection, follow-up procedures, topography reading, fitting techniques and potential troubleshooting.
This was followed by an engaging live session featuring demonstrations of fittings with both trial lenses and empirical methods, complete with valuable tips and insights.
Harnessing Power of Optometry & Ophthalmology to Expand Myopia Management
Through this initiative, we hope to build more expertise and awareness of various forms of myopia management strategies.
Only through proficiency and life-long learning can we deliver holistic care for our patients.
It takes two to tango and I look forward to future collaborations with our optometry colleagues – because our patients deserve only the best.
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In Singapore, along with my colleagues from the Singapore National Eye Centre, we are actively engaged in discussions with the Singapore Optometric Association to explore further collaboration in orthokeratology education. This initiative aims to benefit not only local eyecare professionals, but also ODs and OMDs throughout the region.
Given the growing awareness of the evidence-based benefits of Ortho-K in myopia management, it is crucial to enhance the skills of our eyecare professionals. This is particularly important as Ortho-K is not extensively covered in the current curriculum for training ODs and OMDs in Singapore.
Collaborating Beyond Geographic Boundaries
I am currently collaborating with Carmen Abesamis, an OD from the Philippines, in a unique partnership between ODs in the Philippines and OMDs from Singapore. This collaboration will be featured at the second annual conference by the Professional ODs Society. This ground-breaking event is scheduled for July 26 at the Executive Centre in Makati City, Manila. The conference will cover a variety of exciting topics, including childhood myopia management, Ortho-K, strabismus, and binocular vision, among many other topics.
As an OMD, I am also honored to be conferred as honorary member of the Professional ODs Society (PODS), which will further strengthen our relationship and collaborative efforts within the international eyecare ecosystem.
Li Lian Foo, MD, practices at the Singapore National Eye Centre and Singapore Eye Research Institute. To contact her: dr.foo.li.lian@gmail.com
