Glaucoma Level 1 (College of Optometrists Professional Certificate in Glaucoma)

Glaucoma Level 1 (College of Optometrists Professional Certificate in Glaucoma) is organized by Moorfields Education and will be held from Jan 13 - Jun 10, 2025.

Description:
The course is designed to provide an introduction to glaucoma, its epidemiology, risk factors and factors to consider when diagnosing the condition and when to refer to secondary care. It also provides specialist knowledge and skills for monitoring patients with diagnosed ocular hypertension (OHT) and suspect chronic open angle glaucoma (COAG) with an established management plan.

Benefits of attending:
Following completion of the programme, you should be able to demonstrate:

• An ability to take a comprehensive ophthalmic history in a patient with diagnosed OHT or suspect COAG.
• An awareness of demographic, ocular and systemic risk factors for COAG.
• An ability to accurately measure IOP using a slit-lamp mounted Goldman Applanation Tonometer (GAT) and to interpret the results.
• An ability to perform an assessment of central corneal thickness using appropriate instrumentation and to interpret the significance of the results.
• An ability to assess the optic nerve head by non-contact slit-lamp binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy and to detect the characteristic features of glaucomatous optic neuropathy.
• An awareness of the risk factors for angle closure and an ability to perform and interpret the results of the Van Herick test for the assessment of anterior chamber depth.
• An ability to recognise the signs and symptoms of a patient suffering from acute angle-closure and refer the condition appropriately.
• An understanding of the use of perimetric tests for the assessment of a patient at risk of COAG and an ability to choose the most appropriate test strategies, be familiar with their limitations, understand the sources of error, correctly interpret results and recognise glaucomatous field loss.
• An ability to differentiate COAG from other ocular and central visual pathway anomalies.
• An ability to make appropriate clinical decisions relating to OHT and COAG diagnosis and management.
• An awareness of timescales for follow-up of patients with diagnosed OHT and suspect OHT.
• An ability to detect change in clinical status in patients with diagnosed OHT and suspect COAG (e.g. change in visual fields or optic nerve head).
• An ability to inform patients/public about glaucoma, its detection, prognosis and management and provide them with relevant and accessible information and advice at initial and subsequent visits.

Featured Topics:

• Unit 1 - An introduction to the glaucomas.
• Unit 2 - Examination of the anterior segment in glaucoma.
• Unit 3 - Pachymetry.
• Unit 4 - Tonometry.
• Unit 5 - Visual fields.
• Unit 6 - Assessment of the optic nerve head.
• Unit 7 - Differential diagnosis of glaucoma.
• Unit 8 - Clinical governance and decision making.
• Unit 9 - The patient.