Collaborative glaucoma clinic celebrates 200th clinic
The Glaucoma Collaborative Care clinic, delivered by The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (Eye and Ear) and the Australian College of Optometry (ACO), is celebrating its 200th clinic this Glaucoma Week.
Running fortnightly from the ACO’s Carlton clinic, the glaucoma clinic’s innovative approach evidences how a team-based approach involving ophthalmologists, optometrists and orthoptists is integral to supporting positive eye care outcomes for patients.
15 March 2023
Staff spotlight: Dr Marianne Coleman visits Japan
Marianne Coleman, the NVRI’s Clinical Vision Research Fellow, travelled to snowy Hokkaido in the north of Japan in February. Hokkaido University’s Graduate School of Health Sciences hosted Marianne, Dr Kwang Cham from the University of Melbourne’s Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, and Dr Sandra Iuliano, a nutritionist based at Western Health and the University of Melbourne’s Medical School.
3 March 2023
Celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science with Dr Emma Brunton (NVRI)
This International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we’re celebrating those that are leading action and innovation around the world, including our very own researchers at the NVRI.
Dr Emma Brunton is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the NVRI and was recently awarded a CASS Medicine/Science Grant to continue her research on neural interfaces. The work will be conducted at the NVRI in collaboration with colleagues at The University of Melbourne, Monash University and Swinburne University of Technology. We caught up with Emma to learn more about her work and research aspirations.
10 February 2023
ACO publish new Strategic Plan 2023-2026
The ACO has published its new strategic plan for 2023-2026 which details a sharp focus on patient care, organisational sustainability and workplace culture. Built upon extensive and valuable consultation with the Board Directors, the Executive Management Team, staff and external stakeholders, the three-year plan sets a course for significant positive change to ensure future success.
16 January 2023
International Day of People with Disability 2022
Today marks International Day of People with Disability, a day that aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilise support for the dignity, rights, and well-being of persons with disabilities.
3 December 2022
The NVRI celebrates 50 years of vision research
The NVRI welcomed past and present researchers, collaborators and supporters to its base at the Australian College of Optometry in Carlton on Tuesday 22nd November, to celebrate its 50th anniversary!
Many of the researchers who played significant roles in developing the NVRI were welcomed home on Tuesday evening, meeting with current researchers and exchanging stories of their time with the research institute, including the people and projects that made a difference to them along the way.
25 November 2022
Victorian Eyecare Service (VES) flood assistance
The Victorian Eyecare Service (VES) will subside any VES or Victorian Aboriginal Spectacles Subsidy Scheme (VASSS) patients who have lost or damaged glasses due to the recent floods. VES patients should present to an ACO clinic or other VES participating optometry practice to organise their replacement glasses or contact lenses.
26 October 2022
ACO celebrates International Pronouns Day
At the ACO, our Rainbow Working Group works to ensure we provide a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ communities, whether they are using our services or work as part of our team. For this year’s International Pronouns Day, the Rainbow Working Group is supplying pronoun badges for staff to wear while working if they choose.
19 October 2022
Staff Spotlight: NVRI in Germany
Michael Ibbotson and Jason Jung have returned from a very successful trip to Berlin where Michael was an invited speaker at the Bernstein Conference satellite meeting, “Major transitions in cortical circuit evolution”.
6 October 2022
ACO working with AFL
The ACO is proud to announce that our Head of Satellite Clinics, Mae Chong is advising the Victorian Blind Football League as they develop classification systems and providing classification to vision impaired athletes.
23 September 2022
Staff Spotlight: Austin Tang & the Mobile Eye Care service
Since 2013, the ACO has worked with the Royal Flying Doctor Service Victoria (RFDS) to deliver a much-needed mobile eye care service directly to rural communities across the state.
ACO optometrist, Austin Tang, spoke to Mivision Magazine about his recent trip to Birchip & Donald in north-east Victoria, and the impact of the Mobile Eye Care service.
30 August 2022
Introducing ACO Council President Sophie Koh
Sophie Koh has been appointed as the ACO Council President, taking over the leadership role last month. We caught up Sophie to speak to her about the ACO and her new role.
27 July 2022
Wyndham Eye Care selected as award finalist
ACO’s Wyndham Eye Care has been shortlisted as a Not-for-Profit finalist in the Wyndham City Council Business Awards!
12 July 2022
Staff Spotlight: A Multi-faceted Career in Public Health
ACO optometrists Joe Waterman, Mina You and Lisa Wise were recently interviewed by MiVision to talk about the range of work optometrists can get involved with at the ACO, each of them touching upon different aspects of being an ACO clinician from their own experiences. CEO Pete Haydon and Director of Clinical Service Neville Turner also added to the piece talking about the importance of public health organisations such as the ACO.
1 July 2022
Staff Spotlight: Vivian Kong in Mivision
“The ACO’s mission to provide high-quality, affordable eye care is one I feel very strongly about..”
Vivian Kong, Site Manager of our Braybrook Clinic, spoke to Mivision about her passion for public health and being thrown in the deep end during the COVID pandemic.
1 July 2022
Awards 2022
Last week we announced the latest award recipients at the 2022 ACO & NVRI Annual General Meeting. Congratulations to this year’s award winners!
6 June 2022
Launch of 2021 Annual Report
We are delighted to share the 2021 Annual Report which was launched at the AGM. The report highlights all our accomplishments over last year. A big thank you to all those who were involved in the process. The annual report showcases the exceptional work of our staff through the year! It is now available on the ACO website under ‘Reports and Publications‘.
31 May 2022
Vale John Nathan OAM
We are sad to announce that John Nathan OAM passed away on 15 May 2022, just short of his 98th birthday.
16 May 2022
PRESS RELEASE: Collaborative eye care pilot could help save the sight of some of Australia’s most vulnerable
The Australian College of Optometry (ACO) has joined the Optometry Australia (OA) call for optometrists and ophthalmologists to come together for a pilot aimed at combatting alarming treatment drop out rates that threaten patients’ sight.
26 April 2022
Pete Haydon commences his role as ACO’s new CEO
We welcomed our new CEO Pete Haydon, who commenced his role with the ACO last month.
