THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF SPECTACLE MAKERS

AWARDS FOR INNOVATION IN BRITISH OPTICS

Winners - 2002

The winners were: -

First prize of £1,000 was awarded to Tim Dawson, on behalf of Marcher Enterprises Ltd of Hereford for their development of the Discam system which, using Digital 3D Imaging, allows a rapid clinical assessment of the optic nerve head and macula in terms of colour and topography. The cup to disc ratio is easily measured and this shows a high degree of repeatability.

It has great potential both as a diagnostic and screening device. It should prove particularly useful in the detection of Normal Tension Glaucoma where currently many cases go undiagnosed. It will be of use both in the Hospital Eye Service and by optometrists in the Primary Eye Health Care setting, where at the moment too many false positives are being referred.

Second prize of £400 was won by Richard Harsant, a Dispensing Optician in independent practice (and a Liveryman of this Company) for the Harsant Near Vision Assessment Charts. These charts are designed for consulting room use to allow rapid assessment of contrast sensitivity. The design of the charts is intended to provide an indication of reduced contrast acuity such as may be found in patients with increasing levels of lens opacity. An example of a simple yet innovative idea, it is a practical and useful addition to the consulting room particularly with the increasing number of patients needing low vision assessment

Third prize of £200 went to Professor Nathan Efron and Dr Philip Morgan from the Department of Optometry and Neuroscience at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. The award is for a 'pair' of computer programs that facilitate the accurate and repeatable clinical assessment of complications of contact lens wear', described by the judges as 'ingenious 'morphing' programs that are a real improvement over conventional 'stepped' programs such as those previously promoted by Professor Efron and by the CCLRU in Sydney.

With their aid, the clinician has the potential to score clinical signs with an accuracy that was impossible heretofore. Whatever benefits the clinician in terms of enhanced clinical observation can only be of direct and positive benefit to the patient'.