Category Archives: Uncategorised

On 27^th November, Peninsula Eye Centre proudly hosted the “Clinical Update – November 2018” CPD event for our local optometrists.

Dr Elvis Ojaimi presented on the topic of “The latest in surgical and medical retina” which covered the latest techniques in Vitreoretinal surgery, including images and discussion around surgical and medical retinal conditions.

Dr Suki Sandhu presented on “Central Serous Chorioretinopathy (CSC)” and discussed the diagnosis and treatment of CSC.

Dr Rick Wolfe spoke about “The irregular cornea”, explaining the many causes of corneal irregularity, including keratoconus.  The discussion covered the management of these causes in optometric and surgical practice.   

The CPD accredited event provided optometrists with up-to-date clinical information.  Thank you to our guest optometrists for participating in these valuable and important discussions in the area of ophthalmic patient care.

22 years ago Graham Barrett and I founded the Australasian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (AUSCRS).  We formed AUSCRS to provide ophthalmologists with the first organised forum of its kind in Australia.  At the time there was a lack of adequate forums for ophthalmologists specifically interested in cataract and refractive surgery.  Today, AUSCRS is the peak body for cataract and refractive surgery education.  It is a world class meeting and interested ophthalmologists can stay up-to-date with the latest technology and techniques.  Graham and I are most pleased with our teaching efforts over the years.

At this year’s AUSCRS conference, held in Noosa on 17-20 October 2018 and attended by over 300 surgeons and support staff, the theme was “Ride the Wave”.

This year’s Gold Medal Lecture recipient was Prof Thomas Kohnen.  Prof Kohnen is professor and chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, Geothe University, Frankfurt, one of the busiest teaching hospitals in Germany.  He leads a team that helps more than 35,000 patients annually and is highly active in teaching and research.  He is also editor of the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.   Prof Kohnen’s lecture was on the topic of “Presbyopia Correcting IOLs: Current Options and Solutions to Problems” and raised some very important discussions.

I had the pleasure of presenting my findings on several topics and being involved in a number of discussions.  My main presentation was titled “A New IOL Material and Injection System: Clareon and AutonoMe” and described the new intraocular lens material and injection system, which is driven by pressure from a tiny carbon dioxide cylinder within the assembly.

Particularly interesting was the presentation by Dr Rolando Toyos from the USA on the topic of “Intense Pulse Light (IPL) Treatment for Dry Eye Disease”.  There is now much research to support the effectiveness of IPL in treating dry eye – a treatment regularly used at my clinics for laser patients with dry eye, in order to optimise eye lubrication prior to laser eye surgery.

The topic of SMILE was also raised and the presentation titled “Analysis of 4 years of SMILE Laser Vision Correction – Learning Curve, Visual Result and Enhancement Rates” by Dr Anil Arora, demonstrated some interesting data of outcomes for patients. His results were good. However, I believe that further improvements to this procedure are needed. I think the only SMILE laser machine available at this stage cuts the cornea too roughly, probably because of the long wavelength of the Zeiss laser.  Currently two new manufacturers are completing development on the next generation of SMILE (or whatever name will be given to the procedure).  This will be something to watch. Currently SMILE is not as predictable as our LASIK and I believe this may change as better technology becomes available.

Overall, this year we shared a wealth of information, with over 70 doctors’ sessions presented by international and local experts.

Thank you to all my colleagues and peers for their valuable contributions to these important discussions in the ever-evolving world of cataract and refractive surgery.

Gold Medal Lecture recipient, Prof Thomas Kohnen, professor and chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, Geothe University, Frankfurt.

We are pleased to announce that retinal surgeon, Dr Elvis Ojaimi, has joined our team at Peninsula Eye Centre. Dr Ojaimi has extensive medical and surgical retinal fellowship training in both Australia and Canada.

Dr Ojaimi practices exclusively in medical and surgical retinal diseases. These conditions include:

• Age-related macular degeneration
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Retinal vein occlusions
• Retinal tears and detachments
• Epiretinal membrane
• Macular holes an ophthalmologist with sub-speciality interest in glaucoma management.

Please see Dr Ojaimi’s full professional profile here.

We are delighted to welcome Dr Ojaimi to our practice and to continue to provide our patients with the highest quality of care.

Dr Rick Wolfe was recently invited to speak at the third SynergEYES conference in Sydney.

SynergEYES is an annual educational forum which addresses clinical needs, trending topics and latest technological developments in Ophthalmology from highly respected local and international speakers. This year’s conference, which was attended by over 120 delegates, addressed key areas related to cataract and refractive surgery, including complex case management, advanced biometry, and latest research and updates on new and progressive technology.

As a leading expert in the field of cataract and refractive surgery, Dr Wolfe was invited to provide the key note address at the conference dinner, discussing the recent launch of Alcon’s Clareon® intraocular lens (IOL) with the AutonoMe™ Delivery System for cataract and lens exchange patients.

Dr Wolfe also delivered two further presentations at the conference, on the following topics:

• “Laser refractive surgery versus lens refractive surgery” and
• “Cataract surgery after laser eye surgery”

Dr Wolfe said: “My presentations generated some important discussions amongst the delegates.   At this year’s conference, I found Dr Lee Lenton’s talk about trifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) to be particularly interesting and insightful.  Dr Lenton brought a personal dimension to the discussion as he had recently had trifocal intraocular lenses implanted during his own cataract surgery.”

In April, Dr Rick Wolfe was proud to have been chosen to be the first surgeon in Australia and New Zealand to use the new Alcon Clareon® intra-ocular lens (IOL) with the AutonoMe ™ Delivery System.

Patients undergoing cataract (or lens exchange surgery) can now benefit from this ground-breaking device.  The Clareon® IOL is made  from an advanced material and enhanced manufacturing process that will offer patients crisp, sharp vision after their cataract procedure.  AutonoMe™ is an innovative, automated technology that is used to deliver and position the Clareon® IOL into the eye.