Congratulations to our 2021 TCOS Travel Grant Winners!

Katie MacLellan OC(C) and Dawn Pickering OC(C) win 2021 Travel Grants to present their research at the 2021 AACO National Meeting.

Katie MacLellan, OC(C) and Dawn Pickering OC(C), COMT, CLVT present their research at the virtual TCOS meeting June 24-27, 2021.

The Con-fusing World of Bifocals: Bifocal Treatment of High AC/A Esotropia

Katie MacLellan presented her research on bifocal treatment of esotropia, an ongoing topic of debate amongst orthoptist and ophthalmologists. Her presentation provided an overview of the existing literature about bifocal treatment for high AC/A ratio esotropia, while highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of the advantages, requirements, and risks for this optical treatment.

Soft Skills are Not So Soft: The Importance of These Essential Skills in Orthoptic Practice

Dawn Pickering's presentation reviewed the "soft skill" competencies orthoptists require. The name “soft skills” implies these skills are not important, which is a misnomer. Some

other names proposed are essential skills; emotional intelligence; people skills; or career

attributes. A clinical orthoptist must possess many of these “soft skills”, such as

communication skills; critical thinking abilities; and a positive attitude.