Queensland Eye Hospital has launched its 2019 optometry education series on 9 April with “Oculoplastic and Paediatric Ophthalmology Update” by Dr Sonia Ahn Yuen.

The emphasis of the presentation was differentiating the potentially vision or life threatening conditions from the wide spectrum of common conditions. Ptosis, for instance, can present as isolated senile or congenital condition or as a part of Horner’s syndrome or Third cranial nerve palsy, both of which can potentially be fatal (possible neuroblastoma in children or carotid dissection in adults for Horner’s syndrome and potential cerebral aneurysm for third cranial nerve palsy). Another example would be epiphora in infants, which is most commonly indicative of congenital lacrimal outflow obstruction but can rarely be the initial sign of congenital glaucoma, which should not be missed. Continuing education is a vital part of professional growth across all domains, including ophthalmology and optometry; the initiative to push ourselves a bit further to acquire new knowledge and skills enables all of us to provide the best care possible for our patients. Warm thanks from Dr Yuen to the many participants, who chose to share the evening’s discussion despite undoubtedly a long day of work and also forgoing the evening’s family time.