LECTURE

1 CPD

Paediatric dispensing

About the session

CPD ref: C-108303

Description

All ophthalmic lens designs must maintain accurate positioning in order to be optically effective. For paediatric patients it is potentially life-changing as a successful intervention or correction can impact on children's long-term vision, educational achievement, career opportunities and social development. This session explores the potential resultant effect of a poor fitting frame and the relationship between the frame parameters and facial measurements.

Target audience

  • Optometrist
  • Dispensing optician.

Domains and learning outcomes

Clinical practice

s.5 Keep your skills and knowledge up to date

  • Understands current good practice and developments in clinical research in relation to paediatric spectacle dispensing.

s.7 Conduct appropriate assessments, examinations, treatments and referrals

  • Able to conduct an adequate assessment to enable good patient outcomes when dispensing paediatric patients across a range of ages, ethnicities and taking into consideration any special facial characteristics.

Communication

s 2. Communicate effectively with patients

  • Able to communicate effectively with paediatric patients and their parents/carers regarding appropriate frame choices for their individual fitting, prescription and lifestyle requirements to ensure best patient outcomes.

Speaker

Dr Alicia Thompson

Alicia's career in optics began over 35 years ago where she gained various qualifications in dispensing, manufacturing and lens design. Helping optometry students improve their dispensing knowledge moved Alicia into Aston University for 15 years before she moved to help the ABDO with qualification development. 

In 2021, Alicia was awarded a PhD for her work on paediatric facial anthropometry. This part-time study involved measuring over 1300 three-dimensional images of children aged from birth to sixteen years, capturing differences in ethnicity and Down's syndrome. The aim of which is to improve the design and ultimately the fit of spectacle frames for paediatric patients. 

Alicia still practices regularly in her paediatric dispensing referral clinic.