Attendees at NZ's first ophthalmic electrodiagnostic seminar hosted by Dr Dianne Sharp (centre, front) and OIC's Tim Way (back row, third from right)

On 13^th May, following the RANZCO NZ Branch meeting, the first ever New Zealand ophthalmic electrodiagnostic seminar was held in Auckland at the Greenlane Clinical Centre. The event was hosted by retina specialist, Dr Dianne Sharp and sponsored by the Ophthalmic Instrument Company (OIC).

Electrodiagnostic testing has been available in New Zealand for more than 20 years and the demand for these tests has increased as an adjunct to diagnosis of retinal and neuro-ophthalmic conditions, and the monitoring and early recognition of retinal toxicity.

As a result, electrodiagnostic units have been established throughout the country, with a total of seven Roland Systems now available at hospitals and private practices across New Zealand. Three are located in Auckland, at the Greenlane Clinical Centre’s Eye Clinic, Retina Specialists and the School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Auckland. Further units are at Hamilton Eye Clinic and the Eye Clinics at Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin Hospitals.

The first half of the electrodiagnostic seminar in Auckland was specifically for Roland users, including ophthalmologists and technicians, with hands-on training sessions led by Oskar Stasche, an application specialist from Roland Consult Electrophysiology and Imaging in Germany. Topics covered encompassed many pearls and pitfalls in using the Roland Electrodiagnostic equipment, including demonstrations of the range of available tests, standard and specialty setups, electrode types and paediatric testing.

The second half of the seminar saw attendee numbers almost double, as ophthalmologists, registrars, optometrists, orthoptists and other technicians shared case studies and research topics, identifying key uses of the electrodiagnostic equipment in clinical practice.

It was a great day of learning, sharing and exchanging information, so much so, a request went out to make this an annual event!

Juliet Ware is an ophthalmic electrodiagnostic technician working at the Eye Clinic, Greenlane Clinical Centre, and a dispensing optician in a former life.