Make your voice heard in Acuity

13 July 2018
Summer 2018
Public health Editorial

A message from the President of the College of Optometrists

We are proud to introduce Acuity – the College’s brand-new professional development journal for members. With features, careers interviews, profile pieces, comment and opinion, Acuity aims to bring you the latest advancements in optometric clinical practice for your individual professional development.

We will feature input from the profession’s leading experts, as well as from our new editorial board, who bring a wealth of experience from a wide range of settings.

The journal has four distinct areas: news analysis, opinion, practice and business – each with an array of articles. Some of the articles provide CET points online, so don’t forget to complete the relevant questions on the College website to earn your points.

Acuity will discuss the profession’s hot topics. In this first issue, we question how you should adapt your practice following the publication of NICE guidelines on glaucoma, AMD and cataract. Read the College’s view, and that of other highly regarded experts. And you can find out if you have done what you need to do to be GDPR-compliant by reading our data protection article for a handy checklist and more useful information.

We hope that Acuity will become a great repository for peer- related practice and for knowledge sharing.

There’s also analysis of vision and eye health news articles featured in the media, as well as the Controversial Question on our back page, where we ask various practitioners for their approach to dispensing prescriptions issued by other practices. Those of you familiar with the College’s In Focus magazine [no longer available] will be pleased to see that Acuity retains the popular Clinical Notes page. In this issue, Clinical Adviser Susan Blakeney talks about dealing with complaints.

You can find Acuity online at college-optometrists.org/acuity with exclusive Acuity digital content. The College’s CPD and peer-review journal, Optometry in Practice, is also available online for members.

We want this journal to tell the stories and experiences of our members, and hope that it will become a great repository for peer-related practice and for knowledge sharing.

We would love your feedback on our first issue – please email us at acuity.editorial@college-optometrists.org. And, if you have ideas for topics for future issues of Acuity, or would like to contribute, we’d love to hear from you, get your opinion, feature your case study and amplify your voice.

Professor Edward Mallen BSc PhD MCOptom

Ed graduated in optometry from Aston University in 1998, and completed a PhD at the same institution in 2003. He is now Head of the School of Optometry and Vision Science, and Professor of Physiological Optics at the University of Bradford. He also holds the position of Honorary Professor with the School of Health Professions, Plymouth University, and Visiting Professor at Aston University. Ed was appointed College President in March 2018.

Ed is the Ex Officio of the Education and Standards and Research Committees and the Lay Advisory Panel.

E: ed.mallen@college-optometrists.org

Picture credit | Caroline Andrieu

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