Pre-Reg

A pre-registration year with Matheson Optometrists?

My name is Erica and I'm currently pre-reg here at Matheson Optometrists. I'm in the early stages of pre-reg but can not believe the amount of experience I have already gained.

Training at a Matheson practice is a pre-reg like no other. The patient care is what brings optometry to life and is just how I imagined practice life to be while studying at University. Having a supervisor with IP (independent prescribing) has meant we care, treat and monitor a lot of pathology in house. Patients can be treated or prescribed for during clinic, with others referred to closely linked hospitals.

There are a few practices within the group and we work between a mix of them all. Meaning no two days are ever the same. They are fast paced clinics, which often require you to think on your feet and be ready for new challenges. We manage RGP patients, BV problems, pathology and are also involved in glaucoma monitoring schemes.

Within the first few months of testing, I've checked pressures on a patient with the Goldmann tonometer. Practiced my Gonioscopy skills with the other optometrists. Removed an ingrown eyelash and seen lots of interesting cases and OCT's first hand. The qualified Optometrists are always sharing more complicated cases for us to learn and discuss.

If this sounds like the pre-registration experience you would love then please email your CV and a covering letter to Andrew at amatheson@matoptom.com. Tell us what you enjoy about Optometry and why you think you'd be a good fit. There is always something new to be learnt, so it's key you are looking to develop yourself as an optometrist and hone your skills.

J&J Join Contact Lens Recycling Revolution

Contact lens giant, Johnson & Johnson recently announced their recycling scheme. In a similar fashion to Matheson Optometrist, they have public collection points for lenses. Patients simply collect their lenses in a box at home and drop them off in practice. The foil seal, plastic blister case and soft contact lenses can all be kept together! 

We are excited and proud to be pioneering the field with the environment in mind. You can drop off your used lenses at any of our practices. 

The small pieces of plastic break up and pollute the environment, often when patients flush their lenses down the toilet. We wrote a blog post in more detail about this, which you can read here. 

Let us know what you think of our recycling collections on our Facebook page! 

https://www.facebook.com/mathesonoptometrists/

Woman Mistakenly Given Erectile Dysfunction Cream for Eye

A woman in Glasgow was treated in a local A&E department after using Vitaros an erectile dysfunction medication instead of VitA-POS to treat her eye condition. The mix up caused chemical burns to the cornea according to a report.

Healthcare services now look into using block capitals for written prescriptions. Dr Edington commented, "Prescribing errors are common, and medications with similar names/packaging increase risk."

It was unusual that the prescribed erectile dysfunction cream, for a female had not been questioned. On discovery of the blunder, the patient was given antibiotics, lubricants and steroids. She showed good response to treatment and is recovering from the mild chemical injury.