Milan, Italy, 06.05.2009

In a move to better understand the issues facing rural-based Optometrists in Australia and New Zealand, Luxottica Asia Pacific held ‘Bush Origami’ last month in rural Australia.
The name might sound strange but the intent was anything but strange. The focus of the event was rural optometry - as hundreds of Optometrists working in Australia’s rural and regional areas approach retirement in the next five to ten years, the need to boost support for optometry in the bush is crucial.
The ‘Origami’ concept was borne from a 2007 Project Play-Doh event, which encouraged employees to ‘shape the future of Luxottica’. At the inaugural Origami workshop in late 2007, a group of 25 Optometrists came together to actively shape the future of Optometry within Luxottica and some great initiatives including the Luxottica Optometry Council and the Optometrist of the Year Award were created as a result of the feedback.
Led by Dr Peter Herse, Luxottica’s Academic Director for the Institute of Learning in the Asia Pacific region, this year’s Bush Origami was attended by Optometrists from regional towns in every corner of Australia.
Dr Herse said some of the issues facing Optometrists in remote locations included professional isolation, limited access to training and difficulty finding Optometrists for relief work. Additionally, many Optometrists felt under pressure dealing with major eye health issues with limited numbers of General Practitioners and eye specialists to provide support.
From the range of suggestions and issues canvassed during the meeting, a number of ideas have been acknowledged as the basis of a strategy to strengthen support for rural Optometrists. These include peer mentoring and technology support, developing web-based 3D learning, introducing a rural exchange program between country and city-based Optometrists, and exploring ways to boost the numbers of student Optometrists working in the bush through rural-based courses and incentives.
A team headed by Dr Herse will work to develop and implement key initiatives to provide rural Optometrists with greater support, with many of the short-term goals anticipated to be complete by the end of 2009. The long-term goals are expected to be completed within the next two years.