The annual Orthokeratology Academy of America (OAA) meeting was held in Scottsdale, Arizona from the 19 – 22 April 2012. Eye care practitioners from all over the world came together to discuss the one topic we are all passionate about, Orthokeratology!
On the Thursday, I was involved with the corneal reshaping wet lab held during the orthokeratology bootcamp sessions.
Charl Laas busy with orthokeratology lens fitting during the OAA wet lab session
During the session new Orthokeratology practitioners were exposed to the different Orthokeratology systems available.
Dr Tung evaluating the fit of the GOV orthokeratology lens
Patients were fitted in front of a live audience with the various orthokeratology systems available. During the fitting discussions were held as to how the orthokeratology fit is to be performed, signs to look out for and how to do trouble shooting.
Charl Laas evaluating the fit of a GOV Orthokeratology lens
The Vision By Design meeting officially started on the Friday. The OAA academy meeting yearly attracts Orthokeratologist from all over the world and this year it was no exception.
International Orthokeratologists meeting at the OAA
Eye Care Practitioners came from countries far as the UK, Australia, South Africa, China, Italy, Puerto Rico and Russia.
Nitesh Barot from the UK
Meeting up with everyone was like seeing family again and soon everyone was talking, laughing and catching up on the years events.
The meeting was opened by the OAA president Dr Cary Hertzberg who welcomed everyone back and congratulated the Academy on it’s 10 year anniversary.
Dr Cary Hertzberg opening the OAA Vision By Design 2012 meeting
The Keynote speaker was Prof Earl Smith speaking on the mechanics of Myopia control. According to Prof Smith, both peripheral form deprivation and peripheral hyperopic defocus can produce axial myopia at the fovea, even in the presence of unrestricted central vision. When there are conflicting visual signals for eye growth, the signals from the periphery can dominate ocular axial growth and refractive development.
According to his image shell theory to stabilise axial growth in Myopes, it is important to not only correct central vision but to independently correct peripheral visual errors as well.By the nature of how Orthokeratology lenses shape the cornea, it creates this peripheral myopic defocus and with its associated benefits to patient lifestyle make it an ideal vehicle to perform myopia control with young children.
Prof Earl Smith lecturing on Myopia Control
Global OK Vision (GOV) also attended the meeting in full strength and the team, when not lecturing, manned the booth.
The GOV team from left to right is Lachlan Scott-Hoy, Charl Laäs, Chris Eksteen, Hal Ostrom and in front Arthur Tung.
Charl Laäs, Chris Eksteen and Arthur Tung at the GOV booth at Vision By Design meeting
Charl Laäs explaining the GOV lens system to the two Russian doctors, Olga and Natalia
I also had the opportunity to give two lectures at the Vision By Design meeting, one on how to fit GOV lenses.
Charl Laäs lecturing on the fitting of GOV lenses
One on the Future of Orthokeratolgy. The topics I covered included the fitting of high minus, hyperopia, multifocal, keratoconus and post LASIK with overnight Orthokeratology lenses.
Charl Laäs lecturing on the future of Orthokeratology
The rest of the GOV team also had opportunities to lecture at the Vision By design meeting. Chris Eksteen lectured on the Interpretation of Topography Maps, Arthur Tung on the Visual Mechanics of soft Myopia control lenses and Multifocal Orthokeratology lenses. Lachlan Scott-Hoy gave an in depth lecture on the theory of Hyperopic and Presbyopic Orthokeratology lenses.
After a successful US Vision By Design meeting, I will be off to Madrid in a month’s time to lecture at the Euro-OK meeting and a month later down to the Gold Coast of Australia for the Orthokeratology Society of Oceania Orthokeratology (OSO) meeting.
Exciting times for Orthokeratology!
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