This web page is for conference and course organizers who are interesting in booking Professor Evans to give a lecture. If you would like to download a handout from a recent lecture that Professor Evans has given then please select Lecture handouts.
For conference and course organisers, the following is a list of lecture titles that Bruce Evans has lectured about. Other topics might be appropriate and please contact bruce.evans@virgin.net to discuss this.
The role of the optometrist in dyslexia
This lecture starts by summarising what dyslexia is (and what it isn't!). The lecture concentrates on the role of the optometrist, but places this within the framework of a multi-disciplinary team. A suggested optometric routine for the investigation of people with specific learning difficulties is described, based on recent research. Controversial issues such as the Dunlop Test, Behavioral Optometry, and the DDAT approach are discussed. Recent optometric instruments will be described, including new types of orthoptic exercises, Intuitive Overlays, the Intuitive Colorimeter, and Precision Tints. Research on the use of precision tinted lenses is reviewed, stressing the clinical implications. It is stressed that, although optometrists do not treat dyslexia, they can treat the visual problems that are particularly common in dyslexia. In this way they can make reading more comfortable.
What's best for my patients: How to choose?
Alternative title: Evidence-based optometry
In the last half of the twentieth century there has been a quiet revolution in medicine as the philosophy of the "evidence-based approach" has evolved and become widely accepted. This approach uses simple scientific methodology to validate the work of healthcare professionals. The lecture explains this and applies the principles to the practice of optometry. Research jargon is avoided and some of the myths surrounding research and statistics are "stripped away". This far-reaching lecture touches on all aspects of optometric practice: from contact lenses to orthoptics, and from anti-reflection coatings to behavioral optometry.
Orthoptics for
the optometrist: a user-friendly guide
Alternative title: Diagnosis of binocular anomalies
A simple, logical, step-by-step approach is taken to the diagnosis of orthoptic problems. A minimum of theory is used to aid understanding of the practical aspects, which are the main theme of this talk. The lecture includes an overview of treatment methods. Simple, consulting-room, techniques for the diagnosis of incomitancies are described. The diagnosis and treatment of heterophoria is covered in some detail.
The final part of the talk concentrates on strabismus & amblyopia. Clear guidelines are given on the cases which are most amenable to treatment by the optometrist and which require referral.
This lecture can be split into 3 talks (heterophoria, strabismus, incomitancy), each of which can be given as part of a series or in isolation.
Treating
orthoptic anomalies in optometric practice.
A secret to success in orthoptic treatment is to choose the cases to be treated carefully, and clear guidelines are given on this. Treatment methods that are discussed include refractive modification, prismatic lenses, and eye exercises. Simple methods, which can be used in typical optometric practices and are appropriate for children, are emphasised. The lecture draws upon the literature from disciplines ranging from hospital orthoptics to behavioral optometry.
Double vision: what do I do?
Alternative title: The investigation of diplopia in optometric practice
The diplopic patient can present a major challenge to the optometrist. The main causes of diplopia, both binocular and monocular, are summarised. The lecture emphasises simple methods of investigation, diagnosis, and treatment.
Sensory sensibilities: How we adapt to binocular anomalies
Alternative title: Sensory adaptations to binocular vision anomalies
The sensory adaptations that young people make to orthoptic anomalies are explained in a straightforward way, stressing the implications for the management of binocular anomalies in optometric practice. The lecture covers: sensory fusion, stereopsis, foveal suppression in 'phoria, amblyopia, HARC, and strabismic suppression.
Migraine &
other headaches: the role of the optometrist
Migraine affects about 10% of people and medical treatment is nowadays very successful. Optometrists can help detect and diagnose the condition, referring as appropriate. The lecture discusses controversial ideas, including the use of base in prism and Crookes alpha tints.
Visual stimuli (e.g., flicker, lighting, text) can be a trigger for some migraines. A recent randomised controlled trial is summarised. This found that precision tinted lenses, prescribed with the intuitive colorimeter, are an effective treatment for some cases. This research is summarised and its implications for the optometrist is discussed.
The optometrists' guide to providing eyecare for young children
Alternative title: Paediatric optometry
The reasons why children, from the age of 2 weeks old, can benefit from optometric care are summarised. The lecture also provides a clinical overview of techniques for assessing ocular health, visual acuity, refractive error, binocular function, and accommodation in infants and young children.
Review of recent research at the Institute of Optometry
A summary of recent research in subjects including orthoptics, contact lenses, dyslexia, nystagmus, visual fields, and migraine. Only studies which are relevant to practising optometrists are included, and a "practitioner-friendly" style is adopted, stressing clinical implications.
Monovision:
when, how, & why
Monovision is still one of the most successful methods of correcting presbyopia with contact lenses, and studies of the success rate of monovision are discussed. Research on ocular dominance suggests that the traditional sighting method of determining the eye to have the reading lens is inappropriate and suggestions are made for a more meaningful approach. The effect of monovision on binocularity is reviewed and the orthoptic contraindications for monovision are listed. Clinico-legal precautions that are appropriate to monovision are also given.
Orthoptic
indications for contact lenses
Binocular vision anomalies affect at least 5% of patients consulting optometrists. For many binocular anomalies, contact lenses are the best mode of refractive correction. These conditions are listed, with illustrative examples. Silicone hydrogels are having a major impact on the treatment of some orthoptic anomalies, particularly anisometropic amblyopia, and this is discussed.
Myopia
control: the new frontier for optometry
For generations, optometrists have corrected refractive errors but have been largely impotent when it comes to trying to slow the progression of myopia. Like their patients, optometrists have been spectators who simply observe a patient’s myopia progressing until nature eventually decides that enough is enough and the myopia stabilises. Recent research has changed this perspective and have led to what is nothing short of a paradigm shift in optometric thinking. Today, optometrists can counsel myopic children and their parents and explain to them that their myopia progression can be slowed by 30-50%. It is realistic to expect that, on average, a child who was destined to become a -6.00D myope could end up as a -4.00D myope. In the future, even greater degrees of myopia control may be possible. This lecture will describe the interventions available, both in spectacle and contact lens modalities, and will review the scientific evidence. Fitting guidelines will be given to help community optometrists to transform from practitioners who correct to those who treat.
Please note, the above are samples of lecture topics.
Other subjects include hypnosis, PQE technique, diagnosing incomitancies,
starting a practice, & practice development. Please ask for more details.
The fees below include preparation of the lecture, presentation (by powerpoint data projection when data projector available), and preparation of a handout.
full day: £672 plus VAT
half day: £357 plus VAT
evening: £180 plus VAT if London or Essex, £250 if within one hour of London, half day rate if further
tutorials: £90
per hour, if the student(s) can come to Brentwood, Essex.
The hourly rate is the same for one or more students, so it is most cost
effective if a small group of students attend together and divide the cost
between them.
Travelling expenses
1st class rail/air fare + taxi; or car at 40p per mile