CET – Nystagmus Network

Delegates at an interactive CET workshop

Training eye care practitioners

FREE interactive CET webinars with the Nystagmus Network for Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians

This December the Nystagmus Network hosted a further series of three interactive training webinars for eye care practitioners.

Investigating and managing nystagmus in the orthoptic clinic was delivered by Gemma Arblaster, Orthoptist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Lecturer in Orthoptics at the University of Sheffield. Gemma also serves as a research adviser to the Nystagmus Network.

Jayshree Vasani, Dispensing and Contact Lens Optician, ABDO practical examiner and CET Facilitator, presented Solutions for patients with nystagmus, exploring dispensing spectacles and contact lenses for patients with infantile and acquired nystagmus.

Looking at nystagmus from the patient perspective, the charity’s Information and Development Manager, Sue Ricketts, entitled her webinar 1 in 1,000 things you never knew about nystagmus, bringing the patient voice to the fore.

Around 200 practitioners attended each webinar over the course of three evenings. They were very well received with one attendee, speaking for many, saying “Thank you for such an interesting and informative set of lectures. I felt they were a cut above a lot of CET. Well done!”

Sue Ricketts said: “It is the Nystagmus Network’s ambition to bring eye care practitioners and their practices and the nystagmus community closer together, to build stronger relationships, based on knowledge, experience and trust. We are delighted to have the opportunity to provide professional training to help us work towards this goal, thanks to the support the charity enjoys from clinicians and researchers.”

The charity began delivering CET training in May 2020 and is planning more online and in person interactive workshops and courses in 2022.

Seeing Beyond The Eyes

New CET e-learning enhances skills and accessibility when assisting patients with sight loss

A new CET e-learning course for optical professionals to develop practical skills when dealing with patients with a visual impairment has been launched by award-winning social businessman and Nystagmus Network trustee, Dan Williams of Visualise Training and Consultancy.

‘Seeing Beyond the Eyes’ provides clinical and non-clinical staff with the practical skills and confidence needed to effectively assist people and highlights how to refer patients to vital support services.

It covers sight loss facts and myths, eye conditions and their effects, emotional impacts, certification and registration, referrals to support services, accessibility, assistive technologies, communication, mobility and sighted guiding.

Having lived with sight loss from childhood, Dan fully appreciates the challenges and thanks to his lived and professional experiences, he understands what adjustments are needed and has designed the course accordingly.

He says, “Clinicians would often use medical jargon when talking to me rather than using terms I could understand. Also, there is often a fear of offending someone by offering assistance, but the skills gained by learners gives them the skills and confidence to overcome this.

Eyecare professionals are generally the first point of contact in a person’s sight loss journey so have an important role in empowering patients to access the support they need from organisations such as Nystagmus Network to deal with the initial shock of a serious diagnosis so they can move their lives forward.”

The course provides an ideal induction or refresher tool which can be completed online from any location and qualifies learners for 3 CET points when applicable.

The cost is £40 per learner and it can be completed online from any location.

Click here to find out more and enrol

For enquiries, please email [email protected]

Nystagmus Network launches webinar series for clinicians

Nystagmus Network launches online CET webinars for eye-care professionals

The Nystagmus Network charity was founded in 1984 to support patients living with the condition. They currently have 500 members but estimate there are more than 64,000 patients in the UK living with the condition that they would love to support. This is why they want to expand their reach to engage with eye-care professionals to raise awareness of the charity and encourage referrals.

Daniel Williams, Trustee said “We are delighted to launch our new eyecare professional CET webinars and host some of the ground breaking speakers. We are a small charity wanting to grow our membership and engagement for the benefit of our beneficiaries”.

The Nystagmus Network is a registered charity in England and Wales, number 118450. They provide support and information to people living with all forms of nystagmus and the professionals who work with them.

Nystagmus is a complex, incurable eye condition characterised by involuntary movements of the eyes where they appear to wobble or flicker from side to side, up and down or round and round.

Nystagmus affects ability to focus, recognise faces and judge speed and depth.

The charity offers support and information to the 1 in 1,000 or more people affected by nystagmus, raises awareness through an annual Nystagmus Awareness Day on 20 June, whilst also investing in research into the condition to find a potential treatment.

Below is a list of the upcoming webinars you can book on. Each webinar will give delegates 1 CET point.

Nystagmus Network CET Webinars

The Nystagmus Network is delighted to host a series of webinars all about nystagmus for eyecare professionals. Each Webinar will provide 1 CET point.

Tuesday 26^th May – 10:30

A Clinician’s Guide to Nystagmus

Nystagmus affects 0.24% of the population, yet it is a very poorly understood condition. Optometrists will regularly encounter patients with the condition in practice, especially in the low vision setting. Knowing how to modify routines appropriately, as well as how to classify and potentially refer patients for treatment, will help maintain high clinical standards.

This lecture will provide an optometrist’s up-to-date guide to nystagmus, covering diagnosis, classification, and how to modify a standard routine. Currently available treatments will be discussed.

Delivered by Dr Matt J Dunn who is a lecturer and optometrist at Cardiff University. His research focuses on clinical disorders of visual perception and oculomotor control. At the School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, he teaches clinical orthoptics. Matt is the author of the mobile ophthalmology reference text Dunn Vision Reference.

Wednesday 27^th May

Diagnosing Nystagmus – how, why and when?

Jay will be talking about how Optometrists might approach patients with nystagmus and tips and tricks about what to look for, deciding how urgently to refer and what happens once they reach a specialist centre. No prior knowledge is expected!!

Delivered by Jay E Self BM FRCOphth PhD who is a Consultant Paediatric Eye Surgeon and Associate Professor at the university of Southampton. He runs a research group with an interest in nystagmus, albinism and childhood visual disorders and works closely with Helena Lee who is also a Consultant and Associate Professor in Southampton. Jay is a medical advisor to 4 support charities, a board member of 2 charities and ambassador for one. He has worked both as a researcher and clinician in the field of nystagmus for 15 years. He is a founder member of the Nystagmus UK Eye research group (NUKE).

Thursday 28^th May – 10:30

Testing, Dispensing and Supporting Patients with Nystagmus

The holistic view of supporting a patient with nystagmus. A practical approach on how to test, dispense and support a patient with Nystagmus.

Delivered by Bhavin Shah, Behavioural Optometrist and Jayshree Vasani, Dispensing Optician. Bhavin is passionate about lifelong learning and technology to enable patients to optimise their vision. Jayshree is passionate about supporting patients with visual impairments and empowering the profession with her knowledge.

Contact

Sue Ricketts, Executive Information and Development Manager

Tel: 01427 718093

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sue-ricketts-38305b176

Enquiries

Tel: 01427 718093

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://nystagmusnetwork.org/