International dispensing experts head Down Under for SDC3

Three more speakers in the Specsavers Dispensing Conference (SDC3) line-up have been revealed, with some familiar faces returning from the UK.

SDC3 will take place from 4 to 9 August 2019 in a roadshow-style format, with the event being held in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. The conference will involve six presentations delivered by a combination of local dispensing experts and international guest speakers, and will conclude with drinks and canapés.

Donald Crichton

The conference will be opened by Donald Crichton FBDO, President of the Association of Dispensing Opticians New Zealand and Vice President of the International Opticians Association (IOA). Setting the scene for SDC, Donald’s lecture will emphasise the value of dispensing professional development and provide an introduction to the IOA, which is dedicated to the enhancement and development of the optical profession around the world. Donald will outline what the IOA is, who is involved, membership and benefits.

The previously announced keynote speaker, Professor Mo Jalie, author of Principles of Ophthalmic Lenses, will be joined by fellow UK dispensing academics Alicia Thompson FBDO and Miranda Richardson FBDO, who both hail from the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO).

Alicia Thompson

This will be the third SDC for Alicia, ABDO’s Director of Professional Examinations, and this year, her lecture and case discussion workshop will highlight the importance of understanding what a typical day looks like for a patient, as well as how they use their spectacles, to provide the best dispensing recommendations.

Miranda Richardson

Miranda, Assistant Director of Professional Examinations at ABDO, will be returning for her second SDC. Through a lecture accompanied by peer discussion, she will be exploring prescription analysis and how to realise complex patient requirements. Examples of seemingly impossible dispensing requests to laboratories will also be presented for discussion. Reasons will be provided at the end of each discussion explaining what is possible from the laboratories and why the original request would not be possible.

The final SDC3 speakers will be profiled in the coming weeks.