Practice Team Day 2025: communication, common dilemmas, and presbyopia

Designing an optical wardrobe, approaching presbyopia, and common clinical dilemmas were all key topics explored during a day of online education dedicated to the practice team.

OT, in partnership with the AOP and the Vision team at Johnson & Johnson as headline sponsor, held the day of webinars for all practice staff on 21 September. More than 800 delegates joined sessions throughout the day of education.

Recordings from three of the webinars are now available to watch on-demand through the OT Education Library.

Optometrist, Roshni Kanabar, a clinical and regulatory adviser for the AOP, led a session on Clinical dilemmas on the frontline.

The webinar discussed common dilemmas, such as patient confidentiality, non-tolerances, and dispensing to restricted groups, and how these can be overcome for efficiency and consistency across the practice team.

The second webinar of the day, Designing the optical wardrobe – creating safer, richer conversations with patients, explored leading confident, patient-led discussions to explore a full picture of lifestyle, needs, and preferences.

The session was led by Trevor Bibic, careers coach and learning and development consultant, and Gemma Wilson, independent prescribing optometrist, practice owner, and content developer with Johnson & Johnson’s education programme.

The speakers considered how small changes in language and approach can help patients feel safe, heard, and empowered to consider a variety of optical solutions, and how these skills can be embedded into everyday practice across the team.

Eluned Creighton-Sims, dispensing optician and optical educator, led the session: The lenses are fine; the patient isn’t.

The session explored approaching presbyopia as a lived experience, in order to understand what really drives visual satisfaction for this group of patients.

The final session of the day explored child-centred practice, understanding how children experience their environment and strategies to aid communication.

Erika Moss, events coordinator at the AOP, described the day as a “great success” adding: “We received lots of positive feedback and all of the speakers were great. It was a successful and well-received event.”

Re-watch the webinars from Practice Team Day online now.