Vision Science and Business (Optometry) (extra occupational)

An exciting Alumni educational seminar was held by the Alumni Association, the Aalen friends of optometry at the end of September 2023. Aalen University offered the perfect premises for such an event. The Alumni meeting was the place to be for experienced optometrists and ODs to share their knowledge and for current students to gain valuable insight into the professional world and challenges in the latest research of optometry. All lectures were presented by well-known experts in the field of optometry, some of whom traveled all the way from the US just to share their knowledge at this event.

The day was opened with warm greetings from the chairman of the Alumni Association, Georg Scheuerer, and promptly followed by experienced practicians presenting multiple interesting contact lens cases. The talk provided practical solutions and insights on how to adapt to unusual diagnosiss or how to use sources that are very well known to us, in an innovative way.

Next in the program was the management of acquired strabismus. Prof. Graham Erickson from the US Pacific University, Oregon, talked about a  topic that everyone is familiar with, but the solution might be ambiguous. What is the right treatment for a patient that has a binocular vision defect caused later in life and is not capable of suppression anymore? Based on personal experiences, Prof. Erickson provided a global perspective on the practice. He offered numerous possible solutions and also taught about tests which we could use in our practice.

Next in line was a lunch break, which gave the opportunity to discuss all the new insights with fellow practicians and also gave time to regain strength for the second part of a full day.

After the lunch break, there was the chance to listen to a presentation by Prof. Scott Cooper (also from the US Pacific University): "Laternity and directionality perception delays and reading". It was undoubtedly clear how skilled of a practician Prof. Cooper is. Based on his practice, he was able to explain how he works with people who have difficulty reading, or writing and how common that is. His own, unique style of dealing with this matter was very inspiring and results unquestionable. Emphasizing the importance of a patient-centered approach such as personalized treatment plans, effective communication and how integrating holistic health into practice leads to a successful treatment.

The last lecture of the first day of this Continuing Optometric Education Alumni event was devoted to Optic nerve and visual fields cases by another colleague from US Pacific University, Prof. Lorne Yudcovitch, and his wife, Rosiland Hursh, the owner of the optometric practice “Eye to eye clinic Wilsonville”. They presented and discussed many interesting cases of damaged retina and how they were diagnosed without the use of fundus camera. Prof. Yudcovitch led the lecture in a very refreshing and interactive way, letting the participants think for a while and try to guess the disease, which led to enriching discussion.

As in previous years on Sunday the first deputy chairman of the alumni association, Oliver Buck, took over the welcome and moderation of the day. In the morning, the two contact lens specialists Jenya Davelman and Arige Gideon Abou Said, who came from Israel especially for the conference, presented current findings on "rehabilitation of the ocular surface" as well as "study results on pre- and postoperative follow-up of the epiretinal membrane." After the lunch break, Dr. Jochen Wittibschläger gave a lecture about "glaucoma". Afterwards, the ECOO President and Aalen graduate, Dr. Matjaž Mihelčič from Slovenia, presented "Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy". A great conclusion to the training weekend filled with compact knowledge was the "Big Round of Eye Diseases", i.e. exciting case presentations by master's graduates Tom Köllmer, Damjan Žunić and the US-Americans: Rosiland Hursh, OD, and Prof. Lorne Yudcovitch. 

This Aalen Master Alumni event is a great example of how important in the field of optometry is to share unusual cases of all kinds and unusual, innovative solutions. It has proven to be a valuable opportunity for the optometrist community to learn from experienced professionals and gain a deeper understanding of the evolving landscape of optometry and ophthalmology. The event fostered a sense of unity and knowledge shared within the optometry community.