Melbourne is hosting the largest optometry conference in the Southern Hemisphere

Optometry unites, down under

March 30, 2023 Staff reporters

For the first time, O=Mega23 is joining forces with the fourth World Congress of Optometry, creating the largest optometric clinical conference in the Southern Hemisphere. Hosted from 8-10 September at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, it promises to be one not to be missed, said organisers.

Themed ‘Optometry unites, down under’, it will offer a unique programme and is a first for Australia due to its global focus and diversity of topics, said Melbourne optometrist Timothy Lo, an Optometry Victoria South Australia board member and programme director. “Speakers have all participated in a competitive submission process and I can confirm it will be a very strong, evidence-based programme with significant and cutting-edge content.”

A core theme of the event is collaboration and a key focus is innovative research which can be applied in clinical practice, he said. “The breadth and depth of the programme is something we are getting very excited about. The goal is to provide optometrists around the globe and Australia the opportunity to interact with a host of key speakers and international researchers and see how their work is relevant on the global stage.”

Keynotes are Professor James Wolffsohn, head of the School of Optometry and the Department of Audiology at Aston University, whose research focus includes the development and evaluation of ophthalmic instrumentation, contact lenses, intraocular lenses and the tear film; and Professor Susan Cotter from the Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B Ketchum University, who co-chairs the Paediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group, a clinical research network of 350-plus paediatric optometrists and ophthalmologists.

Five streams with CPD-compliant sessions will be on offer, as well as additional masterclasses for practice managers and optical dispensers; short, practice management focused sessions in O=Mega23’s trade fair Knowledge Centre; and networking events. The early registration discount closes on 30 April 2023.

For the full clinical programme and more information, see O=Mega's website.