RANZCO ANNUAL REPORTA/Prof Nitin Verma AM Member Dr Arthur Karagiannis Member Dr William Glasson AO...

RANZCOANNUAL REPORT

2012/2013

RANZCO Annual Report 2012/2013 3

Annual Report 2012/2013

Board of Directors 2013 4

President’s Report 6

Chief Executive Officer’s Report 8

College Operations 10

Branches, Committees and Special Interest Groups 22

Affilliated Organisations 32

Listings of Committees, Special Interest Groups and Other Boards 36

RANZCO and Affilated Staff 40

Financial Report 2012/2013

Directors’ Report 43

Directors’ Declaration 46

Auditor’s Independence Declaration 46

Statement of Financial Position 47

Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income 48

Statement of Changes in Members Funds 50

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) is a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and is a signatory to the ACFID Code of Conduct, which is a voluntary, self-regulatory sector code of good practice. The Code requires members to meet high standards of corporate governance, public accountability and financial management. More information on the Code, including how to make a complaint, can be obtained from ACFID by visiting www.acfid.asn.au or emailing [email protected]. RANZCO also has its own process for handling complaints which can be activated by phoning the CEO on 02 9690 1001 or emailing [email protected].

CONTENTS

3

4 RANZCO Annual Report 2012/2013

Board of Directors 2013

Board of DirectorsDr Stephen Best President

Dr Bradley Horsburgh Vice President, Honorary Treasurer

A/Prof Mark Daniell Vice President

Dr Mark Renehan Censor-in-Chief

Prof Stuart Graham Chair, ORIA (absent from photo)

Dr Diana Semmonds Chair

Dr Catherine Green Member

Dr Heather Mack Member

A/Prof Nitin Verma AM Member

Dr Arthur Karagiannis Member

Dr William Glasson AO President (Nov 2011-Nov 2012)

(absent from photo)


Registered Office94-98 Chalmers Street Surry Hills NSW 2010 AUSTRALIAPhone: +61 2 9690 1001 Fax: +61 2 9690 1321Email: [email protected] Website: www.ranzco.edu

CouncillorsThe Board of Directors

New South WalesDr Diana FarlowDr Sam LertsDr Tasha MicheliDr Con Moshegov

VictoriaDr Malcolm FergusonDr Andrew Crawford

QueenslandDr John DyerProf Glen GoleDr Mark Dal Pra Dr Russell PerrinDr Rowan Porter

South AustraliaDr Darcy EconomosDr Grant Raymond

Western AustraliaDr Richard GardnerDr Con AnastasProf David Mackey

TasmaniaA/Prof Nitin Verma AM

New ZealandDr Derek SherwoodDr James BorthwickDr Stephen Ng

Younger FellowsDr Ivan Young

Senior FellowsDr Frank Cheok

Professors GroupProf Peter McCluskey

Trainee RepDr Thomas Edwards

Chief Executive OfficerDr David Andrews

Mr Laurie Pincott MBEActing CEO(Sept 2012-Feb 2013}

AffiliatedOphthalmic Research Institute of Australia (ORIA)Chair Prof Stuart Graham

Vice Chair Prof Mark Gillies

Hon Secretary Prof Richard Mills

Hon Treasurer Dr Wilson Heriot

Save Sight Society of NZ Inc.Chair Dr Derek Sherwood

RANZCO Eye FoundationChair Dr Peter Keel

RANZCO Benevolent FundChair of Trustees Hon Dr Brendan Nelson

BranchesNew South Wales

Chair Dr Sam LertsVice Chair Dr Tasha MicheliHon Secretary Dr David WechslerHon Treasurer Dr Andrew Chang

Victoria

Chair Dr Andrew CrawfordHon Secretary Dr Malcolm FergusonHon Treasurer Dr Julian Sack

Queensland

Chair Dr John DyerHon Secretary Dr Rowan PorterHon Treasurer Dr Russell Perrin

South Australia

Chair Dr Grant RaymondHon Secretary Dr Richard FlemingHon Treasurer Dr Richard Fleming

Western Australia

Chair Prof David MackeyHon Secretary Dr Timothy IsaacsHon Treasurer Dr Robert Paul

Tasmania

Chair Prof Paul McCartneyHon Secretary Dr Andrew TraillHon Treasurer Dr Andrew Jones

New Zealand

Chair Dr Jim BorthwickVice Chair Dr Derek SherwoodHon Secretary Dr Mary Jane SimeHon Treasurer Dr Mary Jane Sime



President’s Report


Glaucoma ManagementOn 23 November 2012 the Optometry Board of Australia (OBA), without prior warning, submitted a proposal to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) requesting a change in Glaucoma Guidelines so that optometrists would be able to independently treat patients with chronic glaucoma or those at risk of developing glaucoma. In response, RANZCO lodged a comprehensive submission to AHPRA, focusing on the differences in education and training of ophthalmologists and optometrists, and particularly highlighting the risk to patient safety. Unfortunately the RANZCO submission was ignored. In March 2013 optometrists with minimal hours of additional therapeutic training were allowed to independently diagnose and treat glaucoma (without consultation with an ophthalmologist as has been previously formulated via the NHMRC 2010 Glaucoma Guidelines). RANZCO, together with the Australian Society of Ophthalmologists, after extensive lobbying made the hard decision to launch a legal action against the OBA in the Supreme Court of Queensland. We now see a similar situation developing in New Zealand with the Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Board heading down the same path. RANZCO is fully committed to integrated collaborative care for glaucoma patients recognising the potential risk to patient safety and believe that a change in guidelines should be by education not legislation. For this latter reason we continue to be involved in optometry education.

Education CapOn 13 April 2013, the Australian Government announced that a cap to tax deductions on work-related self-education expenses would be part of targeted reforms in 2013. RANZCO’s policy team, after discussions with many Fellows, drafted a submission to Treasury (submission dated 2 July). This cap now appears to have been delayed in the short-term to allow further submissions but has created a unified response from our medical colleagues via the Committee of Presidents of Medical Colleges and the Australian Medical Association.

All India Ophthalmological SocietyIn late 2012, the Board signed a memorandum of understanding with the All India Ophthalmological Society. This was championed by A/Prof Nitin Verma from Hobart, who had his original training in Delhi, and the memorandum has promoted closer relationships between our two organisations. We sent a group of Board members to the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology /All India Ophthalmology Society Annual meeting in Hyderabad in January 2013 and there is a contingent of Indian ophthalmologists coming to our Hobart Congress. As part of this trip the RANZCO delegation visited the Dr RP Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, All Indian Medical Sciences, in New Delhi, with the intention of creating the potential for RANZCO Fellows wanting to observe ophthalmic practice in India.

Meetings and EventsAfter a string of meetings held very closely together at the beginning of 2013, and a clash between NSW and WA Branch meetings, Branch Chairs were asked to provide dates for their future meetings to enable RANZCO to ensure clashes and concerns from industry sponsors are reduced.

I attended several Branch meetings this year, presenting to Fellows on a range of topics including inducements to refer, the Code of Conduct, RANZCO’s Strategic Plan and current workforce issues. It provided an ideal opportunity to meet many of my colleagues from across Australia and New Zealand. I would like to acknowledge the work of our State Branch Chairs and the executives that support them.

RANZCO’s 44th Annual Scientific Congress was held in Melbourne in November 2012, and over 2000 people attended. We have received very positive feedback and hope to continue this positive trend in years to come.

FinancialsAt the back of this Annual Report you will see that RANZCO is tracking well, with a healthy surplus. It is important the College remains in a financially strong position. We have many new initiatives and

challenges ahead which will require us to spend some money. Apart from our legal action concerning glaucoma guidelines, as part of the Strategic Plan we are looking at expanding our educational activities, bolstering CPD offerings and in the future assist Fellows to manage practice accreditation.

New RANZCO CEOMr Laurie Pincott was appointed as the acting CEO in late 2012, performing admirably and faciliting the RANZCO Board to appoint our new CEO, Dr David Andrews, in early 2013. David started at a very busy and interesting time for RANZCO, and has very professionally taken the reigns, making positive operational and strategic changes to ensure the organisation is running efficiently.

The Strategic Plan A very important innovation for RANZCO, the newly developed three year Strategic Plan (see inside back cover) was created by the Board and senior management with facilitation by a consulting group. The plan is divided into four key areas of activity: Education, Training and Research; Membership/Fellowship and Standards; Relationships and Advocacy; and Development and will form the basis of RANZCO’s core projects and focus over the coming years. As the many aspects are explored and developed there will be opportunity for Fellows and Members to contribute.

Thank youI would like to thank my two Vice Presidents and members of the RANZCO Board whom have been of invaluable support to me; all the RANZCO staff and all RANZCO’s Fellows, Trainees and Associate Members–without whom we would not exist. Additionally I would like to extend special acknowledgement to my colleagues at Greenlane Clinical Centre, and Auckland Eye, who have been very supportive during my multiple absences from clinical practice, while engaged in College activities.

Dr Stephen BestPresident

It has been an eventful year to be RANZCO President, negotiating a number of staffing and political issues while based across the Tasman, in Auckland.


Chief Executive Officer’s Report


At an operational level there have been three CEO’s over the last year. I’m very pleased to currently be in this role and I plan to be here for some time. We are very fortunate to have Dr Stephen Best as your President. Stephen comes with many years of working on different College committees and is a former Honorary Treasurer. He leads a very experienced and committed Board, all of whom are working long hours every week on RANZCO matters. We are fortunate to have had such a dedicated group providing stability this year.

Optometry and CurriculumOver the last year RANZCO has been heavily involved with supporting ophthalmologists in their debate with the Optometry Board of Australia around patient safety and glaucoma management. But this is not the only big issue occupying RANZCO staff and the Board. There has been a lot of work over the last year reviewing the curriculum, undertaking training accreditation inspections, and working on education and training activities in developing countries. I have initiated developments that will make membership more of a focus than it has been, and established a new functional group for Membership Services. This has already simplified a lot of the operational aspects related to our interaction with Fellows and members, and is looking at how we can best provide support to the wide range of members within RANZCO. An example is the increased focus on CPD, which I know is a critical service we provide to Fellows.

Strategic PlanAnother major success has been the development and beginnings of implementation of a Strategic Plan (see inside back cover) for the next three years. I must thank the Board and staff for their contributions during this process as it can be difficult. I was pleased, however, that we were quickly able to develop a clear plan with achievable goals and meaningful outcomes across all areas of the business. The RANZCO staff are now using the Strategic Plan to underpin all new initiatives, while remaining

committed to our core role as described by our Mission statement.

As part of the changes there has been a little shuffling of staff. Some people left and we have brought in new staff to accommodate activities stemming from the Strategic Plan. I feel confident that we now have the right team in place to successfully implement the many programs run or being developed by RANZCO. One of my key goals is to develop a system which will allow rapid and flexible collaboration between RANZCO staff and the myriad of Fellows who willingly give their time and knowledge for the advancement of ophthalmology. Without your assistance RANZCO cannot exist, but we face an increasingly fast-paced world where everyone is being pulled by many different masters and interests. I am confident that over the last six months we have put in place a framework for the future and we will see the results in the year ahead.

Financial PerspectiveFrom a financial perspective RANZCO is in a very strong position. We have a good asset base with good returns, and we are looking to improve this over the year ahead. Although we had a big surplus in 2012-2013 we are going to need this to maintain our level of support across many programs as government funds dry up. The Board and I are very conscious of the high level of financial support from Fellows and I assure you that I will work for the greatest impact in the most cost effective manner. For example, you will notice in this year’s report that we have not published 30-40 pages of financial data. This is a cost and environmental saving measure. The full financial data is available for you to download from the RANZCO website, or we can mail you a separate copy if you wish, but I feel sure that most members are not interested in reading a glossy copy of the fine detail found in the audited accounts. The financial information shown in this report is a summary of our position.

FlexibilityI feel fortunate to be working in an environment that financially allows us

to dream of improving services, develop proposals and implement those that will improve eyecare for Australians, New Zealanders and the many others assisted by RANZCO Fellows. I know that not everyone is able to contribute time to the College, but the fees we receive and contributions made to the RANZCO Eye Foundation or the Australian Society of Ophthalmologists are all critical for maintaining high standards of ophthalmology enjoyed by all those interacting with Fellows. The importance of this high level of care, and the commitment of Fellows and staff to maintaining this, should not be underestimated. As I have travelled around to all the Branches and spoken to Fellows and associated staff such as orthoptists, practice managers and scientists, I am struck by passion everyone has for ophthalmic-led eye care. All of us involved in the day to day business of RANZCO are equally passionate and are always looking for new ways to tackle the rapidly changing environment of medical care. The problems are legion, but there are no quick fix solutions. As the one body that unites all ophthalmology, RANZCO must remain flexible and financially secure enough to adapt quickly when necessary. In providing the solid base for ophthalmic education, training and a wide range of services RANZCO allows Fellows to contribute to many other worthwhile groups safe in the knowledge that RANZCO will underpin the core medical training required.

All the staff at RANZCO are looking forward to an exciting year ahead. The feedback I have from staff is that one of the best aspects of their work is the frequent and varied interaction with Fellows and members. The greatest challenge for any CEO is keeping staff happy and productive, and working as a team, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Fellows and members for contributing to making RANZCO a great place to work.

Dr David Andrews Chief Executive Officer

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists has undergone significant change over the last 12 months and I predict that we are in for a very busy few years.


College Operations


Dov Hersh (NSW) 10 Jul 2012 Tu Tran (Vic) 27 Jul 2012 Roy van Eijden (NSW) S-IMG 6 Aug 2012 Subhashini Kadappu (NSW) S-IMG 13 Aug 2012 Godfrey Jason Quin (NSW) 30 Aug 2012 Peter van Wijngaarden (Vic) 30 Aug 2012 Sumu Simon (SA) S-IMG 12 Sept 2012 Xavier Joseph Fagan (Vic) 9 Oct 2012 Amy Claire Cohn (Vic) 9 Oct 2012 Hughie Hiu Chi Tsang (NSW) 9 Oct 2012 Heather Catherine Russell (Qld) S-IMG 23 Oct 2012 Heathcote Richmond Wright (Vic) 2 Nov 2012 Nicholas Gabriel Strouthidis (UK) S-IMG 11 Jan 2013 Alison Lan See Chiu (NSW) 11 Jan 2013 James Jabbour (NSW) 11 Jan 2013 Kenny Wai-Chung Chan (NSW) 11 Jan 2013 Christopher Michael Qureshi (NSW) 11 Jan 2013 Alexandros Stavros Ioannidis (UK) S-IMG 21 Jan 2013 Ming-Lee Lin (Vic) 6 Feb 2013 Mark Alester de Wet (Qld) S-IMG 6 Feb 2013

Ju-Lee Ooi (NSW) 6 Feb 2013 Joshua Vaughn Hann (Qld) 6 Feb 2013 Frances Marie Kearney (Qld) 6 Feb 2013 Tai Mountford Smith (Qld) 6 Feb 2013 Trent Michael Sandercoe (NSW) 6 Feb 2013 Christopher James Layton (Qld) 7 Feb 2013 Andrea Yi-Ling Ang (WA) 11 Feb 2013 Aanchal Gupta (SA) 18 Feb 2013 Brendan Gerard Cronin (Qld) 18 Feb 2013 Douglas George Anthony Parker (NSW) 4 Mar 2013 Jennifer Sue Ling Tan (Vic) 17 Mar 2013 Ning Danny Cheung (Vic) 25 Mar 2013 Gareth Thomas Higgins (Rep of Ireland) S-IMG 9 Apr 2013 Brighu Narayan Swamy (NSW) 12 Apr 2013 Kenneth Chi Yin Chan (NZ) 5 Jun 2013 Alexander William Hewitt (Vic) 5 Jun 2013 Jason Jude Cassar (Qld) 5 Jun 2013 Andrew David Shaw (Vic) S-IMG 18 Jun 2013

* S-IMG Specialist International Medical Graduate

New FellowsIn the 2012/13 financial year the following doctors have been admitted to Fellowship of the College, and ratified by Council:

MEMBERSHIP

MembershipThe following table sets out changes in the number of RANZCO members over the last four years:

CATEGORY 30/06/10 30/06/11 30/06/12 30/06/13

FELLOWS NSW 367 370 397 396

Vic 223 225 223 200

Qld 162 167 159 142

SA 79 79 83 65

WA 79 83 80 69

Tas 18 18 19 16

NZ 140 140 141 121

TOTAL 1068 1082 1102 1009

HONORARY FELLOWS 19 18 20 21

OVERSEAS FELLOWS 63 63 62 72

ASSOCIATES Ophthalmological 2 2 2 2

International 33 32 24 36

Ordinary 11 8 6 8

Trainee 160 171 162 174

Orthoptic 84 68 41 37

Practice Managers

133 120 90 94

TOTAL MEMBERSHIP 1573 1564 1509 1466

In MemoriamDuring the year the College received, with sadness, notice that the following members passed away:

Dr Anna (Muriel) Nielsen (NZ)

Dr John Noble (Qld)

Dr Charles Swanston (NZ)

Dr John Rogers (WA)

Dr Lloyd Cahill (NSW)

Dr David Warnock (NZ)

Dr Barry Lansdell (Vic)

Dr Ain Saareste (NSW)

Dr Geoffrey Howsam (NSW)


HONOURS AND AWARDSDuring the reporting period a number of RANZCO Fellows and Members gained recognition for their work.Medal of the Order of Australia

Prof Dinesh SelvaProf Dinesh Selva was presented with Membership of the Order of Australia (AM) in the general division for significant service to ophthalmology and visual science as an academic clinician and researcher and through contributions to professional organisations.

Dr Mark Francis EllisDr Mark Ellis was awarded Membership of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to medicine in the field of ophthalmology, and to eye health in Indonesia and Timor-Leste.

Queen’s Birthday Honours

Dr Paul Beaumont MEMBER (AM) IN THE GENERAL DIVISION

For significant service to medicine, particularly in the field of ophthalmology.

Dr Gabriel Hollows OFFICER (AO) IN THE GENERAL DIVISION

For distinguished service to public health as an advocate for the eradication of blindness, particularly for Indigenous Australians and people in the developing world.

Other Awards

Dr Noel AlpinsDr Noel Alpins was presented the Lans Distinguished Lecturer Award.

Presented annually, the award is given to an individual who has made innovative contributions to the field of refractive surgery, especially in the correction of astigmatism.

A/Prof Nitin Verma AM

A/Prof Nitin Verma was selected as one of the finalists for the Australian of the Year 2013 in Tasmania. The award honours Australians from each state and territory for their ingenuity, generosity and remarkable accomplishments. To be selected as a finalist is an excellent achievement.

Prof Hugh Taylor ACProf Hugh Taylor was appointed the new President of the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO). The ICO represents and serves professional associations of ophthalmologists throughout the world. ICO works with ophthalmologic societies and others to enhance ophthalmic education and improve access to the highest quality eye care in order to preserve and restore vision for the people of the world.

Prof Peter McCluskey Prof Peter McCluskey was awarded the International Council of Ophthalmology Mark Tso Golden Apple. It honours the most dedicated teacher of clinical ophthalmology in the Asia-Pacific region.

Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award

Dr Michael Lawless, Prof Peter McCluskey and Dr Dipika Patel were all awarded with the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award. The award recognises individuals for their time and contribution to the scientific programs of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology congresses.

Prof Dinesh Selva

Dr Paul Beaumont

Dr Noel Alpins

Prof Peter McCluskey

Dr Dipika Patel

Dr Mark Ellis

Dr Gabriel Hollows

A/Prof Nitin Verma

Dr Michael Lawless


EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENTQualification and Education Committee (QEC)

The Federal QEC met twice during the year, in November and May to discuss and decide on issues affecting the educational direction of RANZCO.

Several new QEC members were present at the May meeting and included Dr Kristin Bell who takes over from A/Prof Brendan Vote as Tasmania QEC Chair, Dr Mark Walland who succeeds Dr Trevor Gin as Victoria QEC Chair and Dr Stephen Colley who succeeds A/Prof Adam Gajdatsy as Director of Training for Western Australia. RANZCO thanks the outgoing members for their time and the skill they brought to QEC during their term of office; we also welcome the new members.

Awards for Excellence in Training

Awards for Excellence in Training for “excellence in planning, communication, assessment and evidence based professional practice” were presented during the 2012 Congress to the following supervisors:

A/Prof Alex P Hunyor, Dr Kimberley Tan, Dr John Harrison, Prof David Mackey, Dr Anne Brooks, Prof Robert Casson and Dr Michael Fisk.

Training Networks and PostsThe 2012/13 financial year was another busy one for the training post inspectorate. Every three years each of the training posts in each of the training networks is inspected for accreditation. There are often additional inspections within the three year time frame that occur for a number of reasons, including new training post applications, a training post that may have had a significant change to its structure or a post that has been given provisional or conditional accreditation.

Across the year a number of posts in the Sydney Eye Hospital Network were inspected for interim accreditation with each of the following re-accredited: Lismore Base Hospital, Western Sydney Private Paediatrics and Royal North Shore Hospital. A new training post at Port Macquarie was also given provisional accreditation for 12 months.

As part of the three yearly inspection cycle, two training posts at the Royal Darwin Hospital and a post at Alice Springs Hospital were reaccredited for a further three years. Also inspected and accredited were country Victoria posts in Ballarat, Albury and Geelong and in country NSW, Wagga Wagga.

Following inspections of the NSW Prince of Wales Training Network in April 2013 a total of 10 posts were accredited at Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Sutherland Hospital, Broken Hill Base Hospital and the Vision Eye Institute at Chatswood in Sydney.

In May 2013 the New Zealand Training Network was inspected with a total of 24 posts being reaccredited at Greenlane Clinic Auckland, Christchurch Hospital, Dunedin Hospital, Manakau Super Clinic, Wellington Hospital, Waikato Hospital, Park Street Eye Clinic Tauranga and Rotorua Eye Clinic. Three new peripheral sites also applied for accreditation with provisional accreditation being given to Palmerston North Hospital and Hawkes Bay Soldiers Memorial Hospital, Nelson Public Hospital will be reviewed in six months for provisional accreditation.

An additional two posts were approved for funding through the Federal Government Specialist Training program bringing the total number of posts under this scheme to nine.

RANZCO thanks Chief Inspector, Dr Peter O’Connor, Senior Inspectors Prof Glen Gole, A/Prof Mark Elder and Dr Brian Sloan and Post Inspectors Dr Alex Hunyor Snr, A/Prof John Crompton, Dr David Kaufman and Dr David Tamblyn for their ongoing skill and commitment to maintaining the standards of the College training posts.

Dr Bill Glasson (far right) presents the Trainers of Excellence: From left: Dr John Harrison, Prof David Mackey, Dr Kimberley Tan, A/Prof Alex P Hunyor, Dr Anne Brooks, Dr Michael Fisk and Prof Robert Casson


Selection of TraineesIn 2012, RANZCO received 92 applications for selection into the Vocational Training Program (VTP). Forty-three had applied in previous years and 49 were first time applicants.

Thirty applicants were appointed to RANZCO accredited training posts across Australia and New Zealand in 2013: two in South Australia; two in Western Australia; three in Queensland; seven in Victoria; six in New Zealand; and 10 in the NSW training networks.

The annual matching process was conducted by the National Ophthalmology Matching Program Co-ordinator, Dr Ralph Higgins.

Trainee Numbers As at June 2013 there were 174 trainees undertaking the Vocational Training Program with 30 in year one, 36 in year two, 32 in year three, 37 in year four and 39 in their final year of training.

Vocational Training Program Curriculum Review projectThe review of the Vocational Training Program curriculum has made significant progress, and is proceeding on schedule. Under the terms of reference outlining the roles and expectations of reviewers, developed by the Curriculum Committee, more than 50 fellows and trainees have served on review panels.

Reviews of the Physiology Curriculum Standards and exam format, the Ophthalmic Pathology Curriculum Standards, and the clinical Genetics and Microbiology Curriculum Standards were completed in 2012.

Three further revised curriculum standards were implemented in May 2013:

• Ophthalmic Basic Competencies and Knowledge (OBCK);

• Basics of Ophthalmic Surgery; and

• Clinical Ophthalmic Pharmacology and Emergency Medicine (COPEM).

The review of these curricula has led to a revision of the Induction Assessment Standard for OBCK, and improvements

to the assessment instruments designed to evaluate preparedness for clinical ophthalmic practice (e.g. wetlab assessment record, COPEM pre-accredited training and ocular emergencies online exams).

Initial reviews of curriculum standards for clinical performance in the following areas have been endorsed by the Curriculum Committee, and are awaiting ratification:

• Cornea and external eye;

• Glaucoma.

Clinical standards for Neuro-Opththalmology and Ocular Inflammation are currently under review. Chairs and review committees have been appointed, and reviews commenced for Ocular Motility, Paediatrics and Oculoplastics. A Chair has been appointed and a review group proposed for the Vitreo-Retinal Clinical Standard.

Congratulations are extended to the Chair, Prof Paul Mitchell, members of the Curriculum Committee and members of the various review panels, for their professional contribution to the success of the review.

Ophthalmic Sciences and OBCK Exams The completion of the OBCK exam and also the COPEM Curriculum Standards review resulted in changes to both of these exams.

As is currently the case, newly selected trainees are required to pass the COPEM Module 1 online exam before training starts being accredited (covering educational elements 1–11 of the revised COPEM curriculum). Within the first three months of a trainee commencing accredited training, they also need to pass the COPEM Module 2 online exam (covering educational element 12 of the revised COPEM curriculum – on Ocular Emergencies).

The revised OBCK curriculum – which replaces the former OBCK, Ophthalmic Instruments and Fundamentals Curriculum Standards – will form the basis of OBCK exams conducted in November 2013 and beyond. The OBCK exam must now be sat within the first 12 months of commencement on the VTP and any trainee who has not successfully completed the OBCK examination at the

Front row, from left: Drs Mark Walland, David van der Straaten, Cathy Green, Ms Sonja Cronje and Dr Andrew Kaines. Back row, from left: Drs Kristen Wells, Mark Renehan, Neil Murray, Patrick Lockie, Kiran Sindhu, Roger Dethlefs and Michelle Gajus


12 month mark will be referred to the Progression Committee.

The annual meeting of examiners in Ophthalmic Sciences and OBCK was held at the RANZCO office in October 2012. This all-day meeting provided an invaluable networking and planning opportunity for examiners, as well as the chance to connect with staff members from the RANZCO Education and Training team.

Many thanks to the Fellows on the Board of Basic Science Examiners, and particularly to Dr Catherine Green as Chair. A great deal of time and effort has gone into streamlining the exams to de-clutter the first year of training for the trainees.

Advanced ExamsDuring the year, RANZCO conducted two examinations for both Ophthalmic Pathology and the RANZCO Advanced Clinical Examination (RACE).

In Semester Two 2012, six of the seven candidates who presented for the Ophthalmic Pathology exam passed. In Semester One 2013, traditionally a larger cohort, 23 out of 24 candidates passed this exam. Congratulations to Dr Daniel McKay who was awarded the Filipic Greer medal for Ophthalmic Pathology.

In Semester Two 2012, 13 RANZCO candidates presented for the RACE, with five passing the full exam. One candidate was required to re-sit the clinical component of the exam, four were required to re-sit the written component of the exams only, and three were required to re-sit the entire exam. In Semester One 2013, 33 RANZCO candidates presented and 22 passed the full RACE. Six candidates were required to re-sit the written component of the exam only, while five were required to re-sit the entire exam. During the reporting period seven specialist international medical graduates assessed by the Specialist International Medical Graduates Committee sat at least one component of the RACE as part of their assessment.

Drs Richard Stawell and Mark Walland retired from the RACE Board of Examiners and are thanked for their

commitment to advanced exams over many years. Following calls for expressions of interest, Drs Trevor Gin, Anna Galanopoulos and Geoff Lam joined the RACE Board and Dr Sureka Thiagalingam joined the Ophthalmic Pathology Board of Examiners.

RANZCO thanks the Chair of Ophthalmic Pathology A/Prof Mark Elder, Chair of RACE Dr Justin Mora and their respective Boards of Examiners for all their time and commitment to these advanced exams which are continuously reviewed and improved.

Supervisor Workshops Supervisors from the various training networks were invited to attend workshops run in July and December of 2012. There were 38 attendees for these two workshops which focused on different learning and teaching styles and also dealing with difficult conversations involving trainees.

The feedback from these workshops has been very positive with many attendees acknowledging that they were able to apply what they learnt to their supervisory role.

RANZCO acknowledges the financial contribution to these workshops from the Federal Government Specialist Training Program.

RANZCO Eye Foundation/Hobart Eye Surgeons Scholarships This scholarship has been established by the Hobart Eye Surgeons with support from the RANZCO Eye Foundation and others. The 2012 recipients are Drs Rosie Dawkins and Sue Wan. Prof Paul McCartney presented the scholarships at the 2012 Opening Ceremony.

2012 marked the 10th year of the RANZCO Eye Foundation. The foundation was delighted to have two new Diamond Supporters join them: Novartis Australia and Bayer Australia. Both these organisations provided generous funding for the RANZCO Eye Foundation to offer medical retina scholarships in 2012.

The first scholarship was from Novartis, generous long-time supporters of The

RANZCO Eye Foundation since 2003. The RANZCO Eye Foundation/Novartis Australia Medical Retina Scholarship was awarded to Dr Gerald Liew.

The RANZCO Eye Foundation/Bayer Australia Medical Retina Scholarship was awarded to Dr Rosie Dawkins and this was presented by Mr Ashraf Al-Ouf from Bayer Australia.

Industry ScholarshipsThere were several Industry scholarships delivered through both RANZCO and Industry for 2012.

The College appreciates the generous and sustained support of the companies who support the continued education of ophthalmologists through the provision of scholarships. I would like to acknowledge Mr Glen Fawcett of Abbott Medical Optics, Mr Jason Pappageorge of Alcon and Mr Glen Curran of Allergan Australia who were present at the Opening Ceremony in Melbourne.

The RANZCO/Allergan Scholarship was awarded to Dr Dana Robaei. Dr Robaei is currently undertaking a 12 month Anterior Segment Fellowship at Moorfields Eye Hospital.

Dr Simon Skalicky was the recipient of the RANZCO/Alcon Scholarship. Dr Skalicky commenced a Glaucoma Fellowship at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK, in January 2013.

Dr Mark Chiang received the RANZCO/Abbott Medical Optics Scholarship for 2012. He has commenced a Glaucoma Fellowship at Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology London.

Dr Aanchal Gupta received the second RANZCO/Allergan Scholarship. She is currently overseas undertaking a 12 month Cornea and External Diseases Fellowship at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)In the last financial year, the College CPD Committee has continued to review, streamline and align our CPD requirement with the national registration CPD standards to ensure that our


Fellows can readily meet the registration requirements. This is for all Fellows, at all stages of their career.

As a result of discussions with membership and comments received from Fellows, the College revised the requirements of the CPD program in the “Retired Fellows” membership category. Fellows aged 70 years or older, working no more than two sessions per week or undertaking locums for no more than six weeks per annum, are exempted from the clinical expertise level 2 requirement of 30 points. Such Fellows are required to accrue a minimum of 50 points per year whether registered under the specialist or general register with the Australian Health Practitioners Registration Agency or Medical Council of New Zealand.

A new Handbook reflecting the new policies is currently being developed, and will be available to Fellows before the start of the 2014 CPD program in January 2014. It is anticipated that the new Handbook will reflect the current CPD program, enabling fellows to achieve personal and professional development that is relevant to their particular scope of practice.

The number of Fellows meeting the clinical expertise level 2 (“audit”) requirement has been very good, nevertheless it is not 100%, and RANZCO is aware that this requirement remains a challenge for many Fellows, particularly those in rural and regional areas.

Through the Rural Health and Continuing Education Scheme, the College has been able to enhance access to CPD for this group of Fellows. Further information on this program can be obtained at www.ranzco.edu.

I would like to thank Dr Peter Macken and the CPD Committee members for their ongoing hard work and dedication.

Human Research Ethics Committee The RANZCO Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) was established in August of 2005 for the purpose of receiving and examining written applications for ethics clearance for human research projects. Fellows and Trainees are able to submit their research proposal to the Committee which is made up of 11 members and includes several ophthalmologists, a lawyer, minister of religion, psychiatrist, psychologist and lay persons. As set out in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, the primary role of the HREC is to protect the welfare and the rights of participants in research and the primary responsibility of each member is to decide, independently, whether the conduct of each research proposal submitted to the HREC will protect participants.

Over the last 12 months the Committee met four times and assessed nine applications of varying types including clinical trials and retrospective and

prospective audits and studies. Some of these have been determined to be low and/or negligible risk, however most journals still require ethical consideration for the results to be published.

The HREC section of the RANZCO website has many documents that have been developed over this year principally for the purposes of guiding prospective research applicants. Some of the documents include standard and low/negligible risk forms, fee structures, meeting dates, indemnity forms, participant and informed consent templates, submission checklists and guidelines for research.

The Committee has had several changes to its membership since July 2012 and this included the appointment of a new Chair, Prof Mark Radford. Dr Kathleen McClellan finished seven years as the previous Chair. Ms Brit Mainhoff finished off her time as the legal representative after six years and was replaced by Ms Rosemary MacDougal. Other appointments include Ms Kylie Lloyd and Mr Bradley Sheehan as two new lay persons, Dr Christopher Basten, a clinical psychologist and Dr Colin Clement, an ophthalmologist. The contribution of all members is very much appreciated.

Finally I would like to thank the Education and Training team at the RANZCO office for their professionalism and support of the Fellows and the many Committees.

Dr Mark RenehanCensor-in-Chief

Drs Mark Renehan, Brendan Vote and Paul Athanasiov at the QEC Meeting, Melbourne 2012

Drs Mark Walland, Trevor Gin and Peter O’Connor at the QEC Meeting, Melbourne 2012


INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTRANZCO continues to contribute to the reduction in avoidable blindness and vision impairment by taking a role in ensuring high quality ophthalmic education and professional standards for eye care in the Asia-Pacific region.

Capacity building at the Pacific Eye InstituteRANZCO successfully delivered and evaluated the Capacity building of the Pacific Eye Institute (PEI) Project. RANZCO Fellow, Dr Gary Phelps was employed as the RANZCO teaching ophthalmologist at PEI for the duration of 2012 to strengthen systems and mentor trainees and peers. PEI Director Dr John Szetu remarked that “Gary raised the bar considerably and also strengthened existing staff capacity”.

RANZCO Fellows Drs Mick Loughnan, Marc Gimblett, Catherine Green, Willie Campbell, John Dickson, and Wayne Birchall undertook short term teaching visits. Dr Neil Murray supervised the PEI exams in 2012 supported by Ms Christine McGuigan, RANZCO Manager - Training and Assessment. PEI staff observed the RANZCO Advanced Clinical Examination

(RACE) and the Ophthalmic Basic Competencies and Knowledge (OBCK) exams held in Australia to assist them in strengthening assessment processes at the Institute. Following a successful grant application by RANZCO, The RANZCO Eye Foundation has agreed to fund short term teaching and external examiner visits to the Pacific Eye Institute (PEI) in 2013.

The joint RANZCO-PEI curriculum review of the Master of Medicine in Ophthalmology, Diploma of Ophthalmology and Postgraduate Diploma in the Medical Management of Vitreo-retinal and Diabetes Eye Care was completed and signed off by the conferring Fiji National University this year.

Equipment supplied by the project last year has now been fully operationalised at PEI and is assisting in teaching trainee doctors and treating patients.

Regional Leadership Development ProgramRANZCO developed a leadership program to support leaders in eye health from the Pacific Islands region. A successful grant application was made to AusAID and six Pacific Eye Society members will participate in RANZCO’s Regional Leadership Development Program in 2013.

East Asia Vision ProgramRANZCO participated in the design of the Global Consortium East Asia Vision Program 2013-15 funded by AusAID. The

design process included participation in in-country workshops in Phnom Penh and Hanoi. Plans for Cambodia and Vietnam focus on eye health workforce development and improving the Ophthalmology Residency Training Program.

CambodiaA complete curriculum review of the Cambodian Ophthalmology Residency Training Program commenced this year. Following a scoping visit conducted by Ms Sonja Cronje (Manager Curriculum & Assessment), desk reviews were conducted by Cambodian ophthalmologists and RANZCO Fellows Drs Wayne Birchall, Benjamin Burt, Peter Cooper, John Downie, Catherine Green, Lily Ooi and Laurence Sullivan. An in-country workshop was then facilitated by Dr Catherine Green. Drs John Downie, Laurence Sullivan and Benjamin Burt and Cambodian ophthalmologists involved in the training program participated in this workshop.

In June 2013, Dr Mark Renehan, Censor-in-Chief, RANZCO and Prof Saphonn Vonthanak, Rector, University of Health Sciences (UHS), signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Phnom Penh representing a continuing collaboration between RANZCO and UHS to ensure high quality ophthalmic education and professional standards for eye care in Cambodia.

Curriculum review workshop in Phnom Penh, June 2013 Dr Neil Murray presenting on curriculum review at IAPB 9th GA


Indo-China Intraocular Inflammation/Uveitis meetingRANZCO co-sponsored Cambodian ophthalmologists to attend the 1st Indo-China Intraocular Inflammation/Uveitis meeting in Siem Reap, Cambodia in December 2012. Sponsored ophthalmologists would not have been able to attend the meeting without assistance from RANZCO. The meeting exposed ophthalmologists to cutting edge diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to ocular inflammatory diseases and complications. Prof Peter McCluskey strengthened RANZCO’s relationship with the organising group and The RANZCO Eye Foundation has committed to supporting in the 2013 meeting in Vietnam.

RANZCO Congress International Scholarship Program

In 2012, four RANZCO Congress International Scholarships were awarded to ophthalmologists and trainees from the Asia-Pacific region to attend the RANZCO Annual Scientific Congress. Scholarship recipients were Drs Elenoa Matoto Raikabakaba, Nola Pikacha and Claude Posala from the Pacific Islands, and Dr Khamphoua Southisombath from Lao PDR.

In addition to the above scholarships RANZCO was able to support Cambodian ophthalmologists, Dr Sun

Sarin, President of the Cambodian Ophthalmological Society, and Dr Ouk Soleaphy, first female ophthalmologist to graduate in Cambodia, to attend Congress in 2012 with funding provided through the Global Consortium. Congress provided a platform for scholarship recipients to engage in key networking and knowledge sharing opportunities with RANZCO Fellows.

International Ophthalmology Development Register

Since its launch in June 2012, the International Ophthalmology Development Register (IODR) (funded by The Fred Hollows Foundation) has received almost 250 account registrations from NGOs, educational institutions and hospitals from within the Asia-Pacific region and 76 expressions of interest from Fellows, Trainees and International Medical Graduates. The IODR has been widely promoted including a presentation at the International Symposium of RANZCO Congress 2012 by Ms Lauren Hodgson, RANZCO Coordinator IMG & Development. The IODR facilitated nine ‘matches’ between Fellows and project owners, across the 13 projects that have been registered. Account and project registrations are expected to increase over time.

RANZCO International Scholarship Program participants with President at Congress 2012Drs John Szetu (Director of PEI), Roger Dethlefs and Wayne Birchall

RANZCO is a member of:

• International Council of Ophthalmology

• International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness

• Vision2020 Australia• Vision2020 Global

Consortium• Australian Council for

International Development

RANZCO’s partners are:

• Pacific Eye Institute• The Fred Hollows Foundation• International Agency for

the Prevention of Blindness Western Pacific Region

• University of Health Sciences, Cambodia

• CBM Australia• Indonesian College of

Ophthalmology


POLICY AND ADVOCACYA robust policy unit is essential to ensure RANZCO is aware of Government activities and external issues that may be relevant to its strategic objectives and focus. The RANZCO policy unit is steadily growing in expertise and has been busy researching, developing, disseminating and implementing both internal and external College policies and position statements.

Staff and College representatives have undertaken various advocacy activities on behalf of members, including the preparation of submissions in response to external stakeholder consultations and attendance at face-to-face meetings and teleconferences so as to voice and promote College views.

The following is an account of some of the submissions, government briefings, policies and contributions that were made in 2012-2013:

• Development of a RANZCO position statement and press release on the important role of orthoptists in eye care delivery in response to the phasing out of Sydney-based orthoptist training.

• Internal review of the RANZCO Guidelines on Performing Intravitreal Therapy.

• Development of RANZCO policies on Human Rights, Disability, Gender Equality and the Environment to ensure compliance with Australian Council for International Development requirements.

• Workshop attendance and involvement in the development of new National Definitions for Elective Surgery Urgency Categories facilitated by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

• Submission in response to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care’s review of the

national Open Disclosure Standard.

• Response to the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency’s update of the Government’s Skilled Occupation List for 2013.

• Submission to the Department of Human Services’ request for comment on the development of a compliance strategy relating to specialist attendance items in the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS).

• Submission and attendance at meetings with the Department of Human Services regarding MBS review of botulinum toxin injection services.

• Submission, press releases and letters to Members of Parliament in response to the Optometry Board of Australia’s consultation paper on proposed amendments to its Guidelines for the use of scheduled medicines by optometrists.

• Letter in response to the consultation draft of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ GP-Specialist Video Consultation Guidelines.

• Response to Health Workforce Australia regarding development of an Australian Health Leadership Framework (Health LEADS Australia).

• Joint submission with The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners to Standards Australia regarding revision of AS4187 Cleaning, disinfecting and sterilising reusable medical and surgical instruments and equipment, and maintenance of associated environments in health care facilities.

• Development of a joint position statement on Eye Protection with Cancer Council Australia.

• Response to Health Workforce Australia regarding development of the Health Prescribing Pathways Project.

• Ongoing involvement in the work of Vision 2020 Australia’s Prevention and Early Intervention Committee.

The Policy unit would like to thank all members involved in developing

and advocating RANZCO’s positions, particularly A/Prof Alex P Hunyor, Dr Stephen Best, Prof Stuart Graham, Dr Brad Horsburgh, Dr Arthur Karagiannis, Dr Mark Renehan, A/Prof Mark Daniell, Prof Ivan Goldberg and ANZGIG.

CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL OPHTHALMOLOGYThe Editorial Board is pleased to report another busy and successful year of journal development. Submission and publication figures indicate that Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology (CEO) continues to attract high quality publications and remains a trusted source for dissemination of the latest Australasian and international research. This is evidenced by the fact that CEO now ranks in the top 20 amongst general ophthalmology journals.

Manuscript Submissions, Review Process and Published ManuscriptsThe number of new manuscripts submitted to CEO remains high; the journal receives approximately 90 manuscripts per month, almost double the number of manuscripts compared with just five years ago. Manuscripts are submitted by authors from over 40 countries with most originating from Australia, China, India, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. The sub-specialties of glaucoma and anterior segment disease are most commonly represented while medical retina, epidemiology and orbit/oculoplastics are also strong themes. In the past 12 months, 957 new manuscripts were submitted for review. Co-editor in Chief A/Prof Salmaan Al-Qureshi was allocated 501 of these and his overall acceptance rate (after the appropriate peer-review process) was 5% (26 manuscripts). Prof Robert Casson was


allocated 456 manuscripts and his overall acceptance rate was 20% (89 manuscripts).

Managing such high volumes of submissions is no easy task and efficient review by the journal’s expert Editorial Board members ensures that authors can expect an initial publication decision very quickly (currently the average time is 17 days) while the final decision can be returned to authors within three weeks.

New Journal CoverThe cover of CEO has been updated and the new version launched in July 2012. The familiar green and gold cover has been replaced with a revitalised styling giving it a modern feel and reflecting the change to RANZCO’s colour branding.

Editorial Board Streamlining and rejuvenation of the Editorial Board has occurred within the last 12 months. The purpose of rotating Board members has been to attract new ideas and fresh expertise to the journal. Recent retirees from the Editorial Board include: Prof Robert Ritch, Prof Stephen Vernon, Dr Natalie Afshari, Dr Igal Leibovitch, Dr Anthony Kwan, Dr Lalit Dandona, Prof Harminder Dua, A/Prof Mark Elder, Dr Juan Gallo, A/Prof Sanjay Garg, Dr Roberta Gausas, Prof Colin Green, Dr Christina Grupcheva, Dr Philip Guise, Dr Moin Mohamed and A/Prof Piroska Rakoczy. The Editorial team extends their thanks to these former Board members for their input and dedication to the journal over the years and welcomes new members: Dr Ashish Agar, A/Prof Jamie Craig, Dr Peter Sumich, Dr Susan Carden and Dr John Landers. A full list of the current Editorial Board can be found at the end of this report.

Journal Ranking, Impact Factor and Immediacy IndexThe journal Impact Factor tables for 2012 indicate that CEO has retained its high position (1.964). More importantly, the journal’s ranking within ophthalmology Impact Factor tables has jumped impressively from 22nd to 19th place. Of the 56 ophthalmology and vision science journals listed, CEO is now among the

top 20 general ophthalmology journals. Another measure of journal quality is the Immediacy Index which is the average number of times an article is cited in the year it is published. It shows how fast articles are cited after they are published. This is calculated by dividing the number of citations to articles published in a given year by the number of articles published in that year. The Immediacy Index for CEO was 0.581 this year, indicating that over half of the articles published were also cited within 2012. This excellent news across all these measures is the result of a dedicated and focused drive by the Editors, Editorial Board, RANZCO and Wiley-Blackwell to publish top quality international research in a prestigious journal.

A/Prof Robert Casson, Prof Salmaan Al-Quershi and Ms Victoria Cartwright

CEO Editorial Board meeting during Melbourne Congress


RANZCO CONGRESS

RANZCO’s 44th Annual Scientific Congress was held from 22 to 28 November, on the banks of the Yarra River, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Over 2000 delegates attended.

Invited Speakers:

Council lecture Prof Mark Gillies

Sir Norman Gregg Lecture Prof Brenda L Gallie

Ida Mann Lecture Prof Colin R Green

Hollows Lecture Prof Geoffrey Tabin

Glaucoma Speaker Mr Ian Murdoch

Neuro-ophthalmology Speaker Prof Anthony C Arnold

Retina Speaker Prof Philip J Rosenfeld

Cataract Speaker Dr William Trattler

RANZCO congratulated the following 2012 Congress prize and award winners College Medals A/Prof Ian Favilla and Prof Hugh Taylor AC

Distinguished Service Award Dr Kathleen McClellan

Honorary Fellowship Dr Dzung H Vu

Trainers of ExcellenceDr John Harrison, Prof David Mackey, Dr Kimberley Tan, A/Prof Alex P Hunyor, Dr Anne Brooks, Dr Michael Fisk and Prof Robert Casson

Announcement of Prize Winners and Scholarships Filipic Greer Medal Dr Daniel McKay, Pathology Exam

RANZCO Eye Foundation/Hobart Eye Surgeons East Timor Scholarship Dr Rosie Dawkins

RANZCO Eye Foundation/Hobart Eye Surgeons East Timor Scholarship Dr Sue Wan

RANZCO Eye Foundation/Novartis Australia Medical Retina Scholarship Dr Gerald Liew

RANZCO Eye Foundation/Bayer Australia Medical Retina Scholarship Dr Rosie Dawkins

RANZCO/Alcon Scholarship Dr Simon Skalicky

RANZCO/Allergan Scholarship Dr Dana Robaei

RANZCO/Allergan Scholarship Dr Aanchal Gupta

RANZCO/AMO Scholarship Dr Mark Chiang

Gerard Crock Trophy for best paper presentation from a senior ophthalmologist Dr Sanj Wickremasinghe

John Parr Trophy for best paper presentation from a junior doctorDr Charlotte McKnight

Best Retina PosterDr Mei Hong Tan

Best Overall PosterDr Jessica Lai

Best Overall Film WinnerDr Joos Meyer

Opening Ceremony during 2012 Annual Scientific Congress in Melbourne Poster presentation


Branches, Committees & Special Interest Groups


Branches, Committees & Special Interest Groups

BRANCHESNew Zealand Branch Report

It has been a busy year for the New Zealand Branch of RANZCO, in particular trying to lift our profile with politicians, government bodies and non-government bodies involved in national eye health based in Wellington.Taking the lead from the RANZCO Mid Year Forum “Spring Event” held in Canberra in June 2012, the Branch had a similar event in Wellington on 16 October 2012. This was well attended by the executive as well as RANZCO General Managers; Ms Penny Gormly and Mr Gerhard Schlenther. Key topics included health workforce issues, recent branch activities and relationships with other organisations including the Medical Council of New Zealand. In the afternoon there were two presentations; Ms Sue Ineson, Executive Director, of the Council of Medical Colleges spoke on the current review of the health practitioners competence assurance. Ms Lesley Clark, CEO of the New Zealand Medical Association, spoke on New Zealand health system and political advocacy. That evening a number of executive members met with the Director General of Health, Dr Kevin Woods, which provided an invaluable opportunity to share views on a range of issues around eye health and its provision.

In May 2013 a small group including Drs Derek Sherwood, Jim Borthwick, Stephen Best and CEO David Andrews met with some key players in the health system in Wellington. This included:• Chai Chuah, National Director of the

National Health Board, • Brenda Wraight of Health Workforce

New Zealand and • Philip Pigou from the Medical

Council.

This has given RANZCO good contacts to work with government bodies for equitable eye care throughout New Zealand, particularly for cataracts and

anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment.

Also in May a very successful annual scientific meeting was held in Auckland. The theme of the scientific meeting was “From the Lab to the Clinic” and featured guest speakers including Dr Dinesh Selva and A/Prof Jamie Craig. The meeting was combined with ophthalmic nurses, orthoptists and practice manages and included an excellent session on collaborative care in eye health. Congratulations to co-convenors Drs Stephen Best and Richard Hart and to the organising committee for a successful conference.

At the AGM of the New Zealand RANZCO Branch, Dr Jim Borthwick took over as Chair of the Branch from Dr Derek Sherwood. This Branch are very grateful for the hard work Derek put in to his two years as Chair and his continued work on the executive. Also at the meeting Dr Mary Jane Sime resigned as the Treasurer/Secretary of the Branch. Mary Jane had held this position for eight years and was thanked for the tireless work she did for the New Zealand Branch.

Dr James Borthwick, Chair

New South Wales Branch Report

The last 12 months have seen many activities at the NSW Branch. The 2012 AGM guest speaker was Ms Julie Heraghty, CEO MD Foundation.

On 1 July 2012, NSW Health launched the new funding reform to implement activity based funding for all NSW public hospitals. The new model consists of 30% traditional “block funding” and 70% “activity based funding.” The key elements include better tools for gauging performance in healthcare delivery for local Health Districts, better governance, budget setting and improved performance monitoring and reporting. Unfortunately, the Federal government has allocated “no new money” until 2014 when a review will take place.

Six NSW trainees passed the RANZCO Advanced Clinical Examination in 2012 and another five passed in 2013. The Branch extends its congratulations to the successful doctors.

The NSW Annual Scientific Meeting was held at the Sofitel Wentworth Hotel, Sydney from 22 to 23 March 2013. The title was “Great cataract surgery... why isn’t the outcome better?” This new “problem oriented” approach proved highly popular with another record attendance by both NSW and interstate fellows.

The NSW Branch is also proud to support registrar training and this financial year donated $15,000 to the Sydney Eye Hospital wet lab to acquire new equipment for registrar surgical training.

The Branch was again present at the annual AMA Medical Career Expo held at the Sydney Olympic Park. Dr Tasha Micheli and many eye registrars donated their time to answer questions from young doctors and medical students about ophthalmology training and career in ophthalmology.

Lastly, we are delighted to congratulate our 2013 Queen’s birthday honours recipients: Dr Gabi Hollows, who was awarded an AO, and Dr Paul Beaumont, who was awarded an AM, in recognition for their “outstanding services to the community.”

Dr Sam Lerts, Chair

Queensland Branch Report

It has been my privilege and honour to represent our RANZCO State branch members as Chair over the last three years. I have valued immensely the input and support from my Committee members, my colleagues and the AMA secretariat team. There have certainly been some challenges to consider and resolve over this time, ultimately, for the best interest of our members and patients.

The Qld State Health budget has continued to be modified with reduction in services affecting ophthalmological care state wide.


The Qld Branch Scientific meeting was held from August 2 to 3, 2013 at the Sheraton Mirage, Gold Coast. The meeting covered topics on cataract and uveitis with both international and Australian specialists attending a most informative and comprehensive timetable. I would like to thank the organising Committee for yet another successful meeting.

RANZCO has noted our “perceived” healthy bank balance and has asked us to utilise some of this for education. We are currently creating bursaries for our Queensland Branch members to provide financial assistance with further training overseas in paediatric and electrophysiology subspecialty areas. As RANZCO moves towards mandatory simulation training for our new Registrars, further funds will need to be set aside to improve and maintain our existing “wet lab” areas.

The Qld Branch has established a non-metropolitan representative for our northern Queensland members and Dr Andrew Field has kindly agreed to take up this position. Thank you all once again for your support over the years and I would like to congratulate both Dr Rowan Porter who will become our Branch Chair and Dr Anil Sharma our Branch Secretary on their appointments.

Dr John Dyer, Chair

South Australian Branch Report

The SA RANZCO Scientific Meeting, which has been in recess for a number of years, returned with a well attended meeting in the Barossa Valley on 6 and 7 April 2013. The glaucoma themed meeting headlined by Prof Bob Casson and Prof Jamie Craig was well supported by high quality presentations from local glaucoma subspecialists and trainees. The mixed

format with didactic sessions and case presentations proved popular with registrants. President Dr Stephen Best and CEO Dr David Andrews provided an update on national issues. Dr Arthur Karagiannis generated significant discussion with his medico-political update from the Australian Society of Ophthalmology regarding Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency changes to optometric scope of practice in glaucoma. The Jacob’s Creek restaurant provided an iconic Barossa venue for the Conference dinner.

RANZCO continues its partnership role with the My Eye Health Program which has been in operation since 2010, with the mission to raise community awareness of eye health, focusing on the early detection and prevention of eye disease. This program has delivered more than 450 presentations since its inception in both metropolitan and rural areas reaching almost 11,000 people across South Australia. This equates to over 400 hours of education. Rural visits have included the Riverland, York Peninsula, Mount Gambier, Port Lincoln, Port Augusta, Clare, Barossa Valley and Kangaroo Island. The four organisations partnering in the My Eye Health Program are the Freemasons Foundation, The Royal Society for the Blind, Sight For All and RANZCO.

RANZCO has remained actively engaged in ongoing discussions with South Australian Health regarding the allocation of space in the new Royal Adelaide Hospital and scope of services. The primary concerns remain the need to maintain high quality comprehensive facilities and training for registrars and Fellows within the new facility. RANZCO has been asked to consider accrediting training positions across a network of hospitals, rather than independent institutions, as has been the case traditionally.

Dr Grant Raymond, Chair

Tasmanian Branch Report

The Tasmanian Branch meeting this year was held in conjunction with ANZGIG in February 2013. Over 120 ophthalmologists attended the meeting that began on Thursday evening with a reception at Government House.

There were many interesting sessions which culminated with a visit to the Museum of Old and New Art on Friday evening. A viewing of this spectacular museum was arranged and then a dinner held in the restaurant. Saturday morning started with the Tasmanian Branch AGM with another day of presentations concentrating on glaucoma.

At the Tasmanian Branch AGM, Prof Paul McCartney was re-elected Chair, Dr Andrew Jones was re-elected Treasurer with Dr Andrew Traill will be taking over from Dr Guy Bylsma as Branch Secretary. The weekend was a great success and we are very pleased to have had the opportunity to partner with Australian and New Zealand Glaucoma Interest Group for this meeting.

Subsequent to Australian and New Zealand Glaucoma Interest Group, the Tasmanian Branch moved to preparation for the annual RANZCO Congress in November 2013. A/Prof Nitin Verma, AM heads the organising team, and will deliver an entertaining and interesting blend of science, medicine art and culture. All in all a busy year in 2013 welcoming our colleagues to Tasmania!

Dr Paul McCartney, Chair

Victorian Branch Report

Without doubt the most significant Branch occasion over the past year was the return of RANZCO Congress to Melbourne where the city famous for its unpredictable ‘four seasons in one day’ weather hosted RANZCO’s premier event.


Led by Congress Chairs, Dr John McKenzie and Dr Daniel Chiu, the local Organising Committee joined with RANZCO staff to host an extremely successful meeting that incorporated traditional favourites with elements of modern interactive media and even a touch of magic at the College Dinner.

Led by Dr Andrew Crawford (Chair) and Dr Julian Sack (Hon Treasurer), the State Branch Committee continues to be proactive in staunchly representing Victorian Fellows with the past year seeing renewed emphasis on fostering closer links with Government. The Committee remains mindful of the challenges facing outer metropolitan hospitals and regional centres and will continue to be proponents of beneficial change for ophthalmologists and their patients.

The State Branch Scientific meeting, while much smaller than the Federal Congress, still evoked similar excitement with invited guest speaker Prof Helen Danesh-Meyer untiringly delivering three engaging presentations over the course of the day. Not to be outdone, Victorian Fellows did a superb job in highlighting the diverse and innovative work being undertaken locally proving this mid-year meeting is certainly the showcase for Victorian ophthalmic research. The

significant contributions from younger Fellows was also especially pleasing as evidence that this vibrant College event continues its resurgence in popularity.

We look forward to the 2013 Branch Annual General Meeting and the coming year ahead.

Dr Andrew Crawford, Chair

Western Australia Branch Report

Inadequate resourcing to supervise trainees in Western Australia continues to be a problem, with the lowest per capita ratio in the country. This situation must be resolved as trainee numbers are not replacing retiring ophthalmologists in this State, let alone adjusting for increases in population and ageing. We are still working to resolve the lack of an accredited training post at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. It is pleasing to report continuing progress to improve access to Indigenous and remote eye services and we have supported an application to establish a Rural and Remote Fellowship.

Eye emergencies and emergencies in the eye clinic was the topic of this year’s branch meeting in March 2013. In addition to ophthalmologists, we welcomed 28 ophthalmic nurses as

well as the RANZCO Chair, Censor in Chief and General Manager, Education & Development. For the first time the program included an education and discussion session specifically for registrars. During the weekend, presentations by local ophthalmologists, optometrists and keynote speaker A/Prof Penny Allen not only gave a better understanding of the many facets of eye emergencies but provoked much discussion.

All Branch records from the earliest days to today have now been digitised so that incoming committee members will receive a USB and CD rather than a filing cabinet on handover. WA was also the first branch to comply with a request to lodge its records in the RANZCO National Archives.

RANZCO members are represented on the State Government’s Eye Health Advisory Group. The new Fiona Stanley Hospital will be the largest in the State but with limited facilities for ophthalmology services. The committee is considering ways to manage this shortcoming using a hub and spoke model of State eye care but problems with staffing ratios and lack of space at Fiona Stanley is impeding progress.

Prof David Mackey, Chair

Drs Mark Loane and John Dyer at the ASO booth during Qld Branch Meeting

In session during the May 2013 Vic Branch Meeting


COMMITTEESInternational Development Committee

The International Development Committee (IDC) was formed to build on the work of the International Ophthalmology Steering Committee. It held its inaugural meeting at Congress in 2012. The IDC provides strategic guidance and acts as a sounding board for the organisation in the area of international development. It helps to ensure that RANZCO remains true to its mission and vision on these issues, and oversees the activities of the RANZCO Asia Pacific International Development team (RAPID). All RAPID activities are funded from successful grant applications.

RANZCO has been well represented by the IDC in international development for this year:

• As IDC Chair, I attended the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness 9th General Assembly in September 2012. I presented a RANZCO poster on ‘Review and customisation of an ophthalmic training program for the Pacific’. Mr Gerhard Schlenther, RANZCO General Manager Policy and Development, presented on the International Ophthalmology Development Register. The conference also provided an opportunity to network and strengthen relationships with organisations involved in eye health and development, particularly with LV Prasad Eye Institute to inform the East Asia Vision Program design for both Cambodia and Vietnam Fellowship components.

• IDC Member Dr Richard Stawell represented RANZCO on the Vision2020 Global Committee and the Vision 2020 Global Consortium Program Committee.

• CEO, Dr David Andrews was elected to the Vision 2020 Global Consortium Regional Plan Steering Committee.

• The IDC has also provided advice in areas such as strategy for the Vision 2020 Global Committee, International Agency for Prevention of Blindness Strategic Framework, and various advocacy documents.

The IDC established a sub-committee consisting of Drs Rosie Dawkins, Anthony Bennett Hall and Garry Brian to develop the International Development workshop program to be held in conjunction with the 2013 RANZCO Congress.

In March 2013, RANZCO was awarded Provisional Membership status by the Australian Council for International Development. This represents recognition of the developmental focus of RAPIDs activities.

As Chair I would like to express my gratitude to the hardworking members of the IDC and RAPID for all that has been achieved to date.

Dr Neil Murray, Chair

Medicare Advisory Committee

The past year has seen the implementation of changes to the Medicare Benefits Schedule arising from the first stage of the MBS Quality Framework review of ophthalmology. Changes to 37 item numbers occurred in the November 2012 Schedule.

These included many minor wording modifications to update terminology, several deletions of obsolete items and some more substantial modifications to item descriptors. A number of longstanding anomalies have been rectified. Fellows received detailed information regarding the affected item numbers, and there do not appear to have been any major issues resulting from these changes.

Significant progress was made with regard to ophthalmic B-scan ultrasound, which has been problematic for some

years, as the only item available to ophthalmologists (other than for diagnosis and monitoring of tumours) was in the Diagnostic Imaging section of the Schedule. In March 2013 a new item (11244) was created, specifically for ophthalmic B-scan ultrasound. This allows patients to receive a rebate when ophthalmologists perform B-scan based on clinical indications. There is no requirement for Diagnostic Imaging Accreditation (a system relevant to diagnostic imaging practices, not ophthalmic practices); patients may be referred by either optometrists or medical practitioners (previously optometric referrals were not accepted) and patient rebates for consultation are no longer reduced (an anomaly present with the previously used item number).

At the time of writing this report, the Stage 2 MBS Review had been accepted and it is anticipated that the changes from this review will be implemented in the November 2013 Schedule.

The continued lack of an MBS item for optical coherence tomography (OCT), in particular macular OCT, is an ongoing issue which RANZCO is pursuing with the Department and the Medical Services Advisory Committee. It is clear that OCT is the internationally accepted standard of care for non-invasive macular imaging. Australia appears to be the only developed nation without recognition and funding for OCT as an essential investigation for macular disease. Given the widespread adoption of OCT, the College is ever mindful that our limited health resources must be well spent. RANZCO is therefore keen to find a practical and financially responsible solution which will at least allow access to MBS funded OCT for selected patients under the care of ophthalmologists. Fellows will be advised of any progress in this regard. RANZCO has also requested that OCT be included in the November 2013 Australian Medical Association List of Fees.

I would again like to thank the Medicare Advisory Committee for their valuable help and advice throughout the year.

A/Prof Alex P Hunyor, Chair


Museum Report

In early 2013 an Archives and Museum Committee was formed and Terms of Reference developed. I accepted the request of the Board to chair the committee.The Board also approved the employment of a part-time archivist, Mr Jeff Palmer who commenced work at RANZCO in April and quickly devised a comprehensive road-map that will see archival material being catalogued and stored appropriately. In due course, archival material will be added to the searchable function of the museum website. Jeff also developed several policies in relation to archiving, retention, disposal and the acceptance of gifts.

The RANZCO Museum artefacts previously catalogued manually have been converted digitally onto the EMU (electronic museums format). This is widely used museum software which is highly adaptable for our purpose. The design of the website was carried out by Web Place and the site went live in November 2012, allowing for searching of artefacts, oral and video histories, biographies of past College office holders and notable ophthalmologists. The site has been continually populated and this has been facilitated by specialist training by EMU of museum staff and supported by RANZCO Communication Assistant, Ms Louise Treloar.

Much work remains in terms of cataloguing and photographing items. There is a steady stream of excellent material that has been donated to the Museum as well as offers of photographed material in private collections which can be displayed on the site.

Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital (RVEEH) Collection The collection is currently housed in inadequate storage with no workspace. Some of the larger pieces are on display at the RANZCO Sydney office.

Redevelopment of RVEEH Education Precinct will include a Museum storage area. There is a proposal for progressive

public displays in the Library and work area.

A detailed submission on the value of the Museum to the Hospital and its future needs has been prepared.

The timing of the occupation of the new building and the interim storage arrangements have not been finalised but it would be in the vicinity of 2015-2016.

Preliminary discussions have taken place regarding displays of a larger exhibit within the College precinct.

2012 Melbourne RANZCO CongressA large Museum exhibit was presented at the conference. Displayed were a 1920 consulting room, retina instrumentation and sterilisation and surgical knives. The display was well attended, attracting much interest and offers of new material.Concurrently video interviews of Fellows memories were recorded.

These aspects of the Museum are on the Museum website.

Dr David Kaufman, RANZCO Museum Curator

Practice Managers’ Committee

The 2012 financial year has been a challenging and changing time for the Practice Managers’ Committee. As always the major focus of the year was the co-ordination and delivery of the Practice Managers’ Conference at the RANZCO Congress in Melbourne in November 2012. Over 120 Practice Managers from Australia and New Zealand attended and despite the lure of Melbourne’s cafes and shopping, there was a very good attendance. Most attendees seemed to enjoy the opportunity to learn and network with other Practice Managers.

The Committee’s Annual General Meeting was held at that time. At this meeting Ms Joan Nemeth stepped down as President after two years and was replaced by myself, with Joan taking on the role of Vice Chair. The Committee would like to thank both Joan and Ms Anne Knight for their work as President and Secretary, respectively.

The Practice Mangers’ Committee Charter was also formalised at this meeting and priorities enunciated. The Committee has had several changes since then and we are pleased to have representation from WA, NSW, SA, Qld, Tas and NZ. The Committee has also been involved in the preliminary Quality Accreditation subcommittee and sees representation from Practice Managers as a vital component in the Quality Accreditation process that RANZCO is currently investigating. The Committee has identified the following area’s as a major priority for their activities in the 2013-2014 financial year; Quality Accreditation, building up the RANZCO website resources for Practice Managers and working on providing educational content for Practice Managers. For the latter we are grateful to be able to access the resources of the Australian Association of Practice Managers, as these two organisations overlap.

We would also like to thank the RANZCO CEO, Dr David Andrews, the President, Dr Stephen Best, and the staff for their support in our endeavours.

Ms Moira McInerney, ChairMuseum display during the 2012 RANZCO Annual Scientific Meeting in Melbourne


SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPSAustralian and New Zealand Society of Retinal Specialists (ANZSRS)

Over the past 12 months ANZSRS has held two very successful symposia.The first was the satellite meeting on the Saturday prior to the main RANZCO Congress held in Melbourne in November. This was aimed at updating the comprehensive ophthalmologist on retinal disorders and included a number of talks on various retinal topics, as well as case presentations.

The 2013 mid-year Retina Symposium held in Sydney in June was targeted more at retinal specialists and generalists with an interest in retina and attracted around 200 delegates. Dr Dimitri Yellachich gave an entertaining presentation on new and future techniques in retinal surgery, Dr Adrian Fung delivered a talk on the latest methods of retinal imaging and Prof Peter McCluskey spoke about the newer biological agents for the treatment of ocular inflammatory disease. There were also sessions on AMD, diabetes, retinal vein occlusion, vitreoretinal surgery and fluorescein angiography, consisting of short updates and panel discussions of interesting cases.

This year we have been treated to a double dose of Della lectures, as a result of the decision by the committee to move it from the satellite to the mid-year meeting. Dr John Sarks delivered the first one at the November meeting, giving the audience the benefit of his many years of studying the histopathology of AMD. The second was given in June by Prof David Mackey on the subject of the genetics of retinal detachment.

Following his move back to Singapore, Prof Tien Wong has resigned from the ANZSRS committee and his place

has been taken by Dr Tony Kwan from Brisbane. The committee wishes to express its gratitude to Tien for his input over the years.

Dr William G Campbell, Chair

Australian and New Zealand Cornea Society

The Australian and New Zealand Cornea Society returned to Adelaide in March this year for an excellent meeting. The meeting hosted by Dr Richard Mills examined many aspects of cornea and anterior segment disease, critically evaluating the new modes of surgery and sharing experiences of new forms of treatment.

Prof Frank Larkins from Moorfields Hospital was invited to give the Coster lecture. Next year’s meeting will be held in Brisbane on 6 to 7 March.

The Cornea Society was deeply involved in the Medicare Schedule Review in which we examined many currently used item numbers. Phase 2 of the process has now been completed and will modernize the schedule significantly.

Last year the Australian and New Zealand Cornea Society presented a symposium at the RANZCO Annual Meeting on common corneal diseases to update comprehensive ophthalmologists, organised by Dr Michael Loughnan and presented by members of the Corneal Unit, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. We will repeat this symposium this year in Hobart.

A/Prof Mark Daniell, Chair

Australia and New Zealand Glaucoma Special Interest Group (ANZGIG)

ANZGIG continues to enjoy busy and productive years.Our highlight this year was our successful annual meeting held at the Henry Jones Art Hotel in Hobart, on 1 to 2 February. The Lowe Lecturer was Paul Chew of Singapore, with Dr Cathy Green from Melbourne delivering the Gillies Lecture. Fellows, trainees and overseas registrants brought attendance to almost 100 delegates, 32 members of industry and 24 accompanying persons. Delegates appreciated a stimulating and successful Scientific Program. The meeting culminated with a most enjoyable dinner at the Museum of Old and New Art, MONA.

For the second year, a DVD of the meeting’s presentations was produced and distributed, with the support of the two major sponsors of the meeting, Alcon and Allergan.

The ANZGIG Prize for the best paper by a trainee was shared between Dr Maria Franchina (Perth) and Mr Craig Ross (Melbourne).

The Annual General Meeting was held during the Hobart meeting, and was

Dr John Sarks presenting the Neil Della Lecture at the ANZSRS Satellite Meeting during Congress 2012


attended by 43 Fellows. A/Prof Ivan Goldberg and Dr Anne Brooks were re-elected as Chair and Secretary respectively, and Prof Jonathan Crowston replaced Dr Stephen Best as Vice Chair. Two Committee members were elected from each State of Australia and two from New Zealand.

Ms Kathleen Poon yet again proved a most effective organiser and remains our much-appreciated Administrative Assistant.

Our next meeting will be 7 to 8 February 2014, in Perth; it will be co-hosted with the Singapore Glaucoma Society. It is being organised by Profs David Mackey and Bill Morgan.

Other activities this year have included:

• Delivery of courses and symposia at the annual scientific meeting of RANZCO.

• Provision of scholarships and awards to facilitate attendance of registrars and fellows, and also ophthalmologists from developing countries, at our meetings, and to recognise excellence in research and in presentations at our meetings.

• Ongoing development of clinical audit programs for all ophthalmologists in Australia and New Zealand, covering fixed combinations in medical

therapy and assessment of optic disc structure and visual field function.

• Clinical audit programs that are designed to assist Fellows to meet the compulsory audit requirements of the College.

• Working with governments to promulgate guidelines for glaucoma management.

• Expanding our website’s links to other glaucoma websites, including World Glaucoma Association and its Consensus Series of Statements

• Successful application for a research grant from the National Health & Medical Research Council comparing Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty with medical therapy as first line anti-glaucoma treatment. Several sites across Australia are participating.

Our website has continued to evolve offering increased information on our history, with additional links to quality websites and resources. Hosted by the University of Sydney, we again thank Prof John Grigg and Mr Gary Zebington for their support.

A new Education Sub-Committee was formed with Chair Prof Stuart Graham and including Dr Cathy Green, Dr John Landers, Prof Helen Danesh-Meyer and

Dr Ridia Lim. It is reviewing and evolving new Clinical Audit programs in glaucoma for all Fellows that will meet CPD Program Clinical Level 2 requirements.

During the year we have provided advice to RANZCO on glaucoma management issues, including involvement of optometrists (special thanks to Dr Andrew White for his pivotal role in this) and curriculum coverage for vocational trainees (many thanks to Prof Michael Coote for his leadership for this) as well as responding to several individual requests for information. We continue to work closely as well with Glaucoma Australia, the lead lay glaucoma organisation in Australia. Several of our Committee members continue to guide Glaucoma New Zealand.

Internationally we are closely allied with the Asia Pacific Glaucoma Society, newly formed by the amalgamation of the South East Asia Glaucoma Interest Group, the Asian Oceanic Glaucoma Society and the Asian Angle Closure Glaucoma Club; we remain an active foundation member of the World Glaucoma Association.

All Fellows are cordially invited to join us in our activities.

A/Prof Ivan Goldberg, PresidentDr Anne Brooks, Secretary/Treasurer

Delegates at the ANZGIG Conference in Hobart 2013


Ocular Oncology

The ocular oncology group is no doubt one of the smallest at RANZCO yet spread over the same geographical area as everyone else. Despite this, the Group remain in active communication with each other, emailing tricky cases around and meeting up both at the annual RANZCO Congress and at the biennial International Society of Ocular Oncology meetings. The Group are very fortunate to be able to count Prof Bertil Damato, the current ISOO President, as an honorary member. We have also been pleased to be able to include Dr David Liu, who has recently returned from fellowship training to his native Hong Kong.

Dr Peter Hadden, Chair

Australian and New Zealand Society of Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery (ANZSOPS)

The society was established by Dr Peter Rogers in 1994 to “embody and reflect the medical and surgical sub-specialty of ophthalmic plastic surgery.” The society has grown exponentially since and currently has 38 members. Dr Peter Rogers is known as “The Father of Oculoplastic Surgery” in Australia and was the founding president of the society. There is an annual plenary lecture at the Annual Scientific Congress named in honour of Dr Rogers.

The Society is currently seeking to amalgamate with societies in the Asia-Pacific Region, Europe and the US. There is strong interest from international societies for networking which will facilitate faster communication between the members and the sharing of knowledge in the area of ophthalmic plastic surgery.

The ANZSOPS meeting is open to members of the society and is traditionally held prior to the Annual RANZCO Congress.

Dr Alan McNab presented the Peter Rogers Lecture on “Orbital haemorrhagic lesions: an update” on 25 November during the 2012 RANZCO Congress which was extremely well received. The Inaugural Dermot Roden prize for the best presentation during the oculoplastic Session of the Congress was awarded to Dr Jwu Jin Khong for her outstanding presentation on the molecular genetics of thyroid orbitopathy.

This year, Dr Bhupi Patel is the Oculoplastics invited Guest Speaker to the annual Congress in Hobart. There are currently two oculoplastics symposia scheduled to be held in Hobart which should have great appeal to the general ophthalmologist: “Common Oculoplastic Procedures” and “Orbital and Ocular Inflammatory Diseases” The latter symposium will be a joint session between oculoplastics and uveitis, with a leading rheumatologist from Melbourne also participating.

Dr Gina Kourt, Chair

Paediatric Special Interest Group (PSIG)

A/Prof Denis Stark stepped down as Chair of this group at the 2012 meeting. The success of the group has been its informal nature and collegiate atmosphere which are a testament to Denis. We are greatly appreciative of the effort he has put into the formation and organisation of the PSIG.

The 2013 meeting was held in Singapore immediately before the Intercontinental Perspective of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Conference (a joint meeting of the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) and Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC). This, was one of our larger meetings with 27 registrants. The format of case presentation and discussion was once again successfully utilised.

The joint AAPOS/SNEC had in excess of 700 delegates. It was AAPOS’s first foray into co-hosting an international meeting. The highlight of the meeting was a symposium on myopia. Keynote speakers were Prof Donald Tan from Singapore and Dr Eugene Helveston from the USA. The PSIG ran a symposium entitled “When things go wrong.” This was well received and PSIG plan to repeat a similar symposium at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the College.

The inaugural meeting of the International Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Council was held in Singapore in conjunction with the AAPOS/SNEC conference. RANZCO was represented at this meeting by Prof Frank Martin, Prof Justin Mora, Dr Shuan Dai and A/Prof James Elder. This Council has been established with the aim of fostering the development of paediatric ophthalmic and strabismic care throughout the world. There were representatives of approximately 60 Nations at this meeting.

The next PSIG meeting will be held in Cairns in July 2014.

A/Prof James Elder, Chair

Senior Fellows Group

The appointment of a Senior Fellow to the Council in 2012 has been beneficial for the welfare of the Senior and Retired Fellows of the College. The Board and Council have listened to the Senior Fellows Group’s concerns and have implemented the following initiatives which have been beneficial to the Senior and Retired Fellows.

1. The lounge area at RANZCO in Melbourne was a great hit as were the talks which were interesting and well attended. Another lounge area in Hobart and series of talks have been organised.

2. The Seniors dinner was a great success, enjoyed by all and was oversubscribed. We had to change to a larger venue and even then had to reluctantly close the bookings. It was felt by all that the Dinner should


continue as an annual event. Another dinner is planned for Hobart.

3. The seating arrangements at the Opening Ceremony for the Senior Fellows was well received and appreciated.

4. The reduction of the CPD requirements for the Senior Fellows has been of great help to us. Thanks must go to the CPD Committee for their understanding and help.

5. The 100 percent reduction in College fees for those Fellows who turn 80 years or with 50 years of service have been very welcome and will encourage the Senior Fellows to remain involved with the College.

The Senior and Retired Fellows thank RANZCO and Council for listening and implementing these changes, which has been much appreciated.

I would like to personally thank to Dr Bill Barnett who took responsibility of all the functions at RANZCO Melbourne in my absence and for his wise counsel. The Committee would also like to thank Mrs Kathy Kiernan, Ms Avril Cronk, Ms Francine Dutton and the staff of the College who so enthusiastically made all this possible.

Dr Frank Cheok, Chair

Younger Fellows Group

When I first took up the role, I was told that the Younger Fellows Group was little more than a ’social club’.The younger fellows group has come of age.

It represents approximately one third of the college membership.

Previously younger fellows were concerned about obtaining fellowships and locum positions, gaining public hospital positions and visiting rights to hospitals and establishing partnerships and new practices.

Now younger fellows are not only interested in the above issues, but also are concerned about future workplace

needs, overseas trained graduates, area of need practitioners, medicare rebates and provider numbers, scope of practice issues, i.e. issues which affect ALL Fellows.

Decisions made by the RANZCO Board and Council may well outlast members on those committees. Those decisions will have lasting impact on Younger Fellows, who represent the ’next generation.’

There is ever increasing oversight and regulation of the medical professional with governments seeking to allow paramedical groups to perform some of the roles previously performed by medical practitioners.

With the ever increasing technology, medical costs rising, and our ageing population living longer, there will be

more and more cost pressures from the organisations paying the health bill.

It behoves us as a profession to keep our patients’ best interest at heart.

I appreciate the input that Younger Fellows gave on the overseas trained specialist and workforce issues. Your views were strongly represented at the RANZCO Council.

I would like to thank RANZCO for allowing me to represent Younger Fellows over the last two years and would urge all Fellows to get involved with RANZCO affairs.

The profession and your patients need your input.

Dr Ivan Young, Chair

Various presentations in the Senior Fellows Lounge


Affiliated Organisations


THE OPHTHALMIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIAThe Ophthalmic Research Institute of Australia (ORIA) is RANZCO’s research arm and aims to “Advance Eye Research.” The ORIA held its first AGM just over 60 years ago and since that time has distributed literally millions of dollars to provide funding for medical eye research in Australia.The ORIA’s activities are co-ordinated and managed by its 16 member Board and Executive Officer, Ms Anne Dunn Snape. Using the income from its investments and donor organisations, the ORIA continued to contribute to funding for research projects throughout Australia. During the year the ORIA’s Research Advisory Committee considered 49 applications for project funding from Australian researchers, a significant increase from 19 assessed in 2004. It also assessed four New Zealand applications for funding on behalf of the Save Sight Society of New Zealand. The New Zealand Branch is represented on the committee via its Save Sight Society.

The ORIA’s Research Advisory Committee is composed of leading research scientists and ophthalmologists from Australia and New Zealand. All applications are independently peer reviewed, which forms the basis for discussion and recommendation of funding by the Committee. The recommendations of the Committee are put forward to the Board of the ORIA who then indicate what funds are available for the forthcoming calendar year. This year $868,000 has been distributed to fund 18 one year projects throughout Australia. The RANZCO Eye Foundation contributed $165,000 towards co-supporting four projects and Glaucoma Australia Inc.

$50,000 to co-support two projects. This is by far the largest amount of funding the ORIA has distributed in one year and most fitting for its 60th year. We are most grateful to both organisations for their continuing support along with previous benefactors whose legacies are acknowledged through the naming of individual grants.

The ORIA continued funding a New Investigator category in an endeavour to encourage up and coming researchers; five grants were awarded this year.

Significant projects to receive funding from January 2013 were:

ORIA/W A QUINLIVAN AND GLAUCOMA AUSTRALIA GRANTProf Glen Gole, Dr Nigel Barnett and Prof Steven Bottle

“Evaluating a novel (two-way, i.e. reversible) technique to measure oxidation (or reduction) in retinal cells in an experimental glaucoma model”

$50,000

ORIA/RANZCO EYE FOUNDATION GRANTA/Prof Robyn Jamieson, A/Prof John Grigg and Ms Tina Lamey

“Using the latest techniques to find genetic causes of retinitis pigmentosa”

$50,000

ORIA/RANZCO EYE FOUNDATION GRANTDr Alice Pébay, A/Prof Ian Trounce and Dr Karina Needham“Stem cells for modelling retinal diseases in a dish”

$50,000

ORIA/ESME ANDERSON GRANTA/Prof Nick Di Girolamo“Factors that support stem cells on the surface of the eye”

$48,500

Details of all other grants awarded can be found on the ORIA website www.oria.org.au and for New Zealand at www.safesightsociety.org.nz.The ORIA is always mindful of auditing its research funding to assess how well its mission to advance eye research is being achieved. Each year, progress/final reports are provided from researchers funded during the previous year.

A financial statement from each project/institution is also secured to ensure funds have been used in the manner previously indicated in the application.

The ORIA organised an interesting segment at RANZCO last year, presenting details of publications arising out of previous ORIA funding. The top papers in the last five years were presented:

Prof Jamie Craig; “Burdon KP, Macgregor S, Hewitt AW et al. Genome-wide association study identifies susceptibility loci for open angle glaucoma at TMCO1 and CDKN2B-AS1. Nat Genet. 2011;43:574-578.”;

Dr Alex Hewitt; “Hewitt, AW, Sharma S, Burdon KP et al. Ancestral LOXL1 variants are associated with pseudoexfoliation in Caucasian Australians but with markedly lower penetrance than in Nordic people. Hum Mol Genet. 2008;17:710-716.”;

Dr Nicole Van Bergen; “Van Bergen NJ, Wood JPM, Chidlow G, et al. Recharacterization of the RGC-5 Retinal Ganglion Cell Line. IOVS. 2009;50:4267-4272.”;

Dr Xinyuan Zhang; “Zhang, XY-Bao S, Lai, D et al. Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide inhibits breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier through differential regulation of VEGF-A and its receptors in early diabetic rat retinas. Diabetes. 2008;57:1026-1033.

As this year is the 60th anniversary of the ORIA we are taking an historical slant with our presentation to the RANZCO 2013 Congress. We have searched our archives and come up with the names of researchers we have supported from the 1953-1983 period, 47 in total, after pulling out their post 1953 publications. At RANZCO we propose to describe the methodology of the research and show some historical pictures and documents. We have chosen some contemporary researchers in the same field as the ORIA funded researcher to give a two to three minute summary of the individual, two to three minute summary of their life’s

Pictured left: Dr Jelena Kezic, CERA – received New Investigator funding through the ORIA during 2012 for Macrophages in the Ageing Eye


work and then the remaining time to 10 minutes on the ORIA papers. In the following year, we propose to focus on those researchers receiving funding by the ORIA post 1983. It is planned to write up this presentation as a co-authored paper, with the speakers contributing a few paragraphs on their grantee to go to Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology.

The ORIA has posted a page on its website as a resource for New Scientists. This will be added to when relevant information comes to hand.

The ORIA has continued its support of the Australasian Ophthalmic and Visual Sciences Meeting. The meeting ran concurrently last year at RANZCO in Melbourne and it has been agreed to continue this format with this year’s RANZCO meeting in Hobart.

The ORIA also continues its annual support of the Ringland Anderson Chair of Ophthalmology in Victoria.

During the year, Prof Tien Wong decided to step down from the ORIA Board. We are most grateful for his commitment to the organisation.

Prof Stuart Graham, ChairMs Anne Dunn Snape, Executive Officer

RANZCO EYE FOUNDATION From small beginnings in 2002, The RANZCO Eye Foundation is pleased to report that a decade on exceptional support from our donors - across our 2012 calendar financial year - has meant 2012 was a year of significant change and success for The RANZCO Eye Foundation.

Financial partnerships, coupled with our national fundraising, marketing and community service efforts allowed our Foundation to continue in its quest to contribute significantly to the eradication of avoidable blindness by 2020.

We genuinely extend our thanks to all the ophthalmic practices, industry and corporate partners, and of course the general community, who contributed greatly to our broad range of eye health initiatives, treatments and procedures across our region.

During the 12-month reporting period to 31 December 2012, The RANZCO Eye Foundation was delighted to report a total income of $2,180,241.

Of this funding, The Foundation distributed $1,130,351 to our vital domestic and international patient services and medical research programs. At the end of the calendar financial year surplus funds not utilised during the 2012 calendar financial year were ear-marked to be utilised in 2013.

While fundraising occurred at a greater level the Foundation continued to monitor and reduce its overheads to an all-time administrative low.

We are pleased to report therefore the Foundation remains in a strong, financial position ready to adopt even more domestic and international programs in 2013.

Key financial grants from supporters such as Alcon, Allergan, DAK Foundation, Hobart Eye Surgeons, Hunter Hall, the Manildra Foundation, ODMA, The Charitable Foundation, Pfizer Australia, the Estate of Patricia Ann Withofs (Sole Benefactors of the Kimberley Diabetic Eye Care Program), and The RANZCO Eye Foundation’s new Diamond Partners Bayer Australia and Novartis Australia meant our Foundation could expand its reach and effectiveness across all our programs.

In 2012, The RANZCO Eye Foundation was thrilled to announce Bayer Australia and Novartis Australia as Diamond Partners

Prof Jamie Craig and Dr Richard Mills with RANZCO Eye Foundation Patron the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, Ms Quentin Bryce AC, CVO at Flinders Medical Centre

Dr Alice Pébay


of The RANZCO Eye Foundation together injecting half a million dollars towards medical eye research, education and awareness.

Such notable and generous support from all sectors of the community, especially in our 10th anniversary year, helped our Foundation continue to grow and provide even more valuable support towards improvements in national medical research, Indigenous eye health and the restoration of sight in developing countries.

Not only does our Foundation do its utmost to preserve and restore vision here in Australia through domestic, rural, remote and medical research best-practice programming, our Foundation also empowers local communities to care for their people’s vision in an affordable and sustainable way through our international development initiatives.

The RANZCO Eye Foundation is privileged to attract incredibly supportive donors,

Board Members, staff and committees to work with us on the day-to-day results of the organisation. We are proud to work with you and thank you very much for your dedication and influence on our organisation.

The Foundation sincerely thanks its Patron The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia Ms Quentin Bryce AC CVO, and the Foundation’s long-term Ambassadors Mr Kirk Pengilly, Mrs Betty Churcher and Mr Lorin Nicholson for their incredible enthusiasm towards the Foundation’s 2012 activities.

We were pleased to announce expert of Australian labour law; former Senior Australian of the Year (2011) and the first totally blind person to be appointed by a university in Australasia to a full professorship in any field or as Dean of Law, Professor Emeritus Ron McCallum AO, joined our Foundation as a new RANZCO Eye Foundation Ambassador in 2012.

The RANZCO Eye Foundation continues to acknowledge the support of RANZCO and the Ophthalmic Research Institute of Australia (ORIA) and their members. The Foundation is committed to ensuring it represents and reflects the interests of College and ORIA members in its vision, strategy and work.

We look forward to our organisation becoming even more effective over the years to come and working with our Board and Staff to develop and implement our next strategic plan post 2013. We would very much like you all to be a part of the next exciting phase of The RANZCO Eye Foundation.

The audited financial statements for year-end 31st December 2012 can be found at www.eyefoundation.org.au.

Ms Jacinta Spurrett, CEO

National Geographic Adventurer Tim Jarvis speaks about his Shackleton Adventure at The RANZCO Eye Foundation’s 10th Anniversary Sydney dinner

Ms Jacinta Spurrett presents with Dr Mark Loane at the 2012 RANZCO Scientific Congress


Listings of Committees, SIG’s and Other BoardsCommittees

Dr Bradley Horsburgh Dr Peter Macken Dr Neil Murray Dr Mark Renehan Dr Peter O’Connor

Dr Anthony Hall Dr Helen Danesh-Meyer Dr Mark Radford Dr Ashish Agar A/Prof Alex P Hunyor

Dr Stephen Best A/Prof Justin O’Day Dr Mark Lazarus Dr Stephen Cains

Dr David Kaufman Dr Paul Mitchell Ms Moira McInerney


COMMITTEESFinance, Audit and Risk Management CommitteeDr Bradley Horsburgh (Chair)Dr Stephen BestDr Stuart GrahamDr David AndrewsMr Andrew Young

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) CommitteeDr Peter Macken (Chair)Dr Alok SharmaDr Fiona ChanDr Guy BylsmaDr Jean-Louise De SousaDr Richard HartDr Sam LertsDr Timothy GrayDr Frank Cheok

International Development CommitteeDr Neil Murray (Chair)Dr Mark RenehanDr Richard StawellDr Anthony B HallDr Laurie SullivanDr Brad TownendDr Robert CassonDr Rosie DawkinsDr Peter CooperDr Garry BrianDr Catherine GreenDr James La NauzeMs Jacinta SpurrettDr David AndrewsMr Gerhard Schlenther

Qualification & Education CommitteeDr Mark Renehan (Censor-in-Chief)Dr Ainsley MorrisDr Anthony JH Hall (Ex-Officio)A/Prof Brendan VoteDr Cathy Green (Ex-Officio)Prof Glen Gole (Co-opted)A/Prof Graham LeeDr Peter Macken (Co-opted)Dr Jenny DanksA/Prof Jagjit GilhortaDr Justin Mora (Ex-Officio)Prof Paul Mitchell (Co-opted)Dr Peter O’Connor (Ex-Officio)Dr Stephen Cains (Ex-Officio)Dr Trevor GinDr Michael Merriman

A/Prof Mei-Ling Tay KearneyDr Kristin BellDr Mark Walland

Post Inspection CommitteeDr Peter O’Connor (Chair)Dr Brian SloanProf Glen GoleA/Prof Mark Elder

Trainee Progression CommitteeProf Anthony Hall (Chair)Dr Stephen Jones

Scientific Program CommitteeProf Helen Danesh-Meyer (Chair)Dr Noel AlpinsDr Simon DeanDr Shuan DaiA/Prof James ElderA/Prof Samantha Fraser-BellDr Tom HardyDr Phil HouseDr Tony KwanDr Luke MaCheronProf David MackeyProf Charles McGheeProf Bill MorganDr Andrew SymonsA/Prof Nitin VermaProf Stephanie WatsonDr Christine YounanDr Stephen Best (ex-officio)Prof Ted Maddess (ex-officio)Ms Sarah Stedman (RANZCO)

Human Research Ethics CommitteeProf Mark Radford (Chair)Dr Alex B. L. HunyorDr Lyndell LimA/Prof Paul HealeyDr Colin ClementDr Christopher BastenReverend Erica MathiesonMs Kylie LloydMr Bradley SheehanMr Robert CannMs Rosemary MacDougalMs Brit Mainhoff

Indigenous & Rural Health CommitteeDr Ashish Agar (Co-Chair)A Prof Angus Turner (Co-Chair)Dr Bill GlassonDr Garry BrianDr Damien LouisA/Prof Henry NewlandDr Richard Rawson

Dr Mark LoaneDr Michael HennessyProf Hugh TaylorProf Minas CoroneoDr Tim Hernderson

Medicare Advisory CommitteeA/Prof Alex P Hunyor Jnr (Chair)Dr Allan M RosenbergDr Michael HennessyDr Michael D SteinerDr Nicholas KarunaratneDr Paul BeaumontDr Phillip McGeorgeDr Rafat GhabrialDr Rick JB WolfeDr Ross S BengerDr Tim ForsterDr Trevor HodsonDr William Glasson

Membership CommitteeDr Stephen Best (President)Dr Mark Renehan (Censor-in-Chief)

Therapeutics CommitteeDr Guy D’Mellow (Chair)

Visual Standards CommitteeA/Prof Justin O’Day (Chair)Dr Elaine WongDr Julien MazzettiDr Mark LazarusDr Rick JB Wolfe

Medico-legal CommitteeDr Mark Lazarus (Chair)

Specialist International Medical Graduate CommitteeDr Stephen Cains (Chair)A/Prof John CromptonDr Ali Martins Dr Brian SloanDr Marc SarossyDr Nitin VermaDr Stephen Hing (resigned in May 2013)Dr Sue OrmondeDr Vinithra Kumar Mr John Horner

Archives and Museum CommitteeDr David Kaufman (Chair)Prof Mark RadfordDr Ian McCallisterDr Bruce HaddenMr Jeff Palmer (RANZCO Archivist)


Curriculum Committee

Prof Paul Mitchell (Chair)Prof Glen GoleDr Justin MoraA/Prof Adam GajdatsyDr Mark WallandDr Jonathan Farrah

Practice Managers Committee

Ms Moira McInerney (Chair)Ms Joan Nemeth (Deputy Chair), Gawler Eye & Laser Clinic (SA) Ms Susan Benger (Secretary)Dr Ross Benger, Drummoyne (NSW)Mr Ray Andrew, Hobart Eye Surgeons (TAS)Ms Donna Glenn, Gordon Eye Surgery (NSW)

Ms Lisa Hartley, Central Sydney Eye Surgeons (NSW)Ms Colleen Sullivan, Northside Eye Specialists (Qld)Ms Fiona Wong, Western Eye (WA)

SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPSAus & NZ Cornea SocietyA/Prof Mark Daniell

Aus & NZ Glaucoma SIGA/Prof Ivan Goldberg

StrabismusDr Craig Donaldson

UveitisDr Lyndell Lim

PaediatricsDr James Elder

Ocular OncologyDr Peter Hadden

Australian and New Zealand Society of Retinal SpecialistsDr William Campbell

Australia and New Zealand Society of Ophthalmic Plastic SurgeryDr Gina Kourt

MilitaryDr Viki Andersons

Women in OphthalmologyDr Faye Walker

Overseas DevelopmentDr Richard RawsonDr Geoff Cohn

Oculo-PlasticsProf Tim Sullivan

Senior FellowsDr Frank Cheok

Younger FellowsDr Ivan Young

A/Prof Mark Daniell A/Prof Ivan Goldberg

Dr Lyndell Lim Dr James Elder

Dr Williiam Campbell

Dr Faye Walker

Dr Frank Cheok

Dr Gina Kourt

Dr Richard Rawson Dr Geoff Cohn

Dr Ivan Young

Dr Viki Andersons

Prof Tim Sullivan

Dr Craig Donaldson

Dr Peter Hadden


OTHER BOARDSCEO EDITORIAL BOARDEditors-in-Chief: A/Prof Salmaan Al-Qureshi and Prof Robert Casson

Associate Editors: Dr Susan Carden, Prof Dennis Lam, Prof Charles McGhee, Prof Peter Savino

Section Editors: Dr Ashish Agar, Dr Carlos Gustavo De Moraes, Dr Jonathan Myers, Prof Stuart Graham, Dr Mark Chehade, Dr Jennifer Craig, Dr Mark Daniell, Dr Salim Okera, A/Prof Dipika Patel, Dr Srinivas Rao, Dr Tim Roberts, Dr Peter Sumich, Dr Jamie La Nauze, A/Prof Nick Di Girolamo, A/Prof Trevor Sherwin, Prof Stephanie Watson, Dr John Wood, Dr Susan Carden, Dr William Good, Prof Justine Smith, Dr Lyndell Lim, A/Prof Jolly Gilhotra, A/Prof Timothy Lai, Dr Jurij Bilyk, Dr Stephen Ng, Dr Cathy McCarty, Dr John Landers, Dr Paul Beaumont, A/Prof Samantha Fraser-Bell, Mr Moin Mohamed, Dr Sanj Wickremasinghe, Dr Andrea Vincent, Prof Bertil Damato, A/Prof Bruce Hadden, Prof Raid Alany, Prof Rick Sponsel

Editorial Board: Dr Paul Badenoch, Dr Stephen Best, Dr Anne Brooks, Dr Andrew Chang, A/Prof Paul Chew, A/Prof Jamie Craig, Prof Mark Gillies, Dr Alex Harper, Dr Steve Kwok, Prof Susan Lightman, Mr Chris Lloyd, Prof Ted Maddess, Dr Kathy McClellan, Prof Peter McCluskey, Dr Alan McNab, Prof Dinesh Selva, Dr Mei Ling Tay-Kearney, Dr Jie Jin Wang, Dr Graham Wilson, Prof Nagahisa Yoshimura, Dr Greg Gamble

BOARD OF EXAMINERS

Ophthalmic Pathology ExaminersA/Prof Mark Elder (Chair)Dr Diane KenwrightDr Tom DoddDr Vivek ChowdhuryDr Weng SehuDr Michael Giblin

Dr Robert (Max) ConwayDr Sureka Thiagalingam

RACE ExaminersDr Justin Mora (Chair)A/Prof Alex HunyorA/Prof Geoffrey LamA/Prof Mei-Ling Tay-KearneyA/Prof Philip PolkinghorneDr Anna GalanopoulosDr Darcy EconomosDr Diana ConradDr Georgina KourtDr Kim TanDr Maged AtallaDr Maria MoonDr March ChehadeDr Mark Walland (Retired 2013)Dr Michael TooheyDr Peter MeagherDr Ross FitzsimonsDr Sean EveryDr Simon TaylorDr Stephen OhlrichDr Trevor GinProf Gerard SuttonProf Helen Danesh-Meyer

Ophthalmic Sciences and OBCK Dr Catherine Green (Chair)Dr Krishna TumuluriProf Paul McMenaminDr Dzung VuDr Justin FriebelDr Brent GaskinDr Tasha MicheliDr Anne LeeDr Paula BerdoukasDr Kiran SindhuDr Magda GuzowskiDr Angelo TsirbasDr John DicksonDr Peter HaddenDr Peter WellingsDr Vivek ChowdhuryDr Jean-Louise De SousaDr Shanel SharmaA/Prof Bruce HaddenDr Mark SteinerDr Mark WhitingDr Daya SharmaDr Christine YounanDr Simon DeanDr Sonya BennettDr Andrew ThompsonDr Neil Murray

Dr Randev MendisDr Patrick LockieDr Peter MartinDr David Van Der StraatenDr Kristen WellsDr Andrea VincentDr Gayatri BanerjeeDr Sam LertsDr Michelle GajusDr Andrew KainesDr Rohan MeraniDr Lorraine OngDr Stuart CarrollDr Neil MurrayDr Tu TranDr Ridia Lim

THE ORIA BOARDProf Stuart Graham (Chair)Prof Mark Gillies (Vice Chair)Dr Richard Mills (Honorary Secretary)Dr W Heriot (Honorary Treasurer)Dr Fred ChenDr Colin ClementProf J CrowstonA/Prof Mark DaniellDr Paul HealeyDr Anthony KwanProf David MackeyProf Peter McCluskeyDr John MalesDr Andrea VincentDr Stephanie Watson

THE RANZCO EYE FOUNDATION BOARDMr Peter Keel (Chair)Prof Frank Martin AM (Secretary)Ms Pam LaidlawDr Mark LoaneDr Richard Stawell Mr John Yeudall A/Prof Nitin Verma AMProf Julian Rait (Resigned 20 August 2012)Ms Kim McKay (Resigned 29 May 2013)

A/Prof Salmann Al-Qureshi A/Prof Robert Casson A/Prof Mark Elder Dr Justin Mora

Mr Peter KeelA/Prof Stuart Graham

Dr Catherine Green


RANZCO and Affiliated Staff

RANZCO STAFFDr David Andrews

Chief Executive Officer

Mr Laurie Pincott

Acting CEO(September 2013-February 2013)

Mr Nicholas Brislane

Liaison & Education Officer

Ms Vicky Cartwright

Managing Editor, CEO (Maternity Leave)

Mrs Antonelle Clemente-Marquez

Education Support Officer

Ms Sonja Cronje

Manager Curriculum & Assessment(Left May 2013)

Ms Avril Cronk

General Manager: Communications & Congresses

Mr Lee Cummings

Project Officer STP

Mr Barry Diletti

Executive Assistant to CEO

Mr Craig Dobney

Manager, Selection and Assessment

Mrs Francine Dutton

Publications & Events Officer

Ms Penny Gormly

General Manager: Education & Training

Mr Peter Hanson

General Manager: Business Operations(Left March 2013)

Ms Lauren HodgsonCoordinator: International Graduates & Development

Ms Erin KeechReceptionist

Mr Adam KiernanManager: E-Learning & Indigenous

Mrs Kathy KiernanAdministration Assistant

Mr Nicholas KottI.T. Administration Officer

Mr Alvin LauFinance Assistant

Mrs Christine McGuiganManager: Training & Assessment

Mr Cameron McIverNZ Branch Officer

Ms Ritu MohanPolicy Officer

Ms Kate MorrisonProject Officer Asia-Pacific

Mr Jeff PalmerArchivist

Mr Gerhard SchlentherGeneral Manager: Policy & Development

Mr Ramesh SomasundaramPolicy Officer(Left April 2013)

Ms Sarah StedmanMemberships

Ms Eden TayManager: CPD, Training & Evaluation

Ms Alex TerryGeneral Manager: Membership Services

Ms Louise TreloarCommunications Assistant

Ms Meri VukicevicActing Managing Editor, CEO

Mr Andrew YoungFinancial Controller

AFFILIATED STAFFThe RANZCO Eye FoundationMrs Jacinta SpurrettChief Executive Officer

Ms Dagmar De OlivaFinance Manager

Ms Justine GrayMarketing Manager (Left July 2013)

Mr Nicholas KottDatabase Management

Ms Simone MadiganDonor Relations Manager

The ORIAMs Anne Dunn-SnapeExecutive Officer


Contents

Directors’ Report 43

Directors’ Declaration 46

Auditor’s Independence Declaration 46

Statement of Financial Position 47

Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income 48

Statement of Changes in Members Funds 50

The full financial report is available at www.ranzco.edu

FINANCIAL REPORT 2012/2013

Registered Address: 94-98 Chalmers Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 AUSTRALIA

Phone Number: +61 2 9690 1001

Facsimile: +61 2 9690 1321

Email: [email protected]

Company Secretary: Dr David Andrews


Directors’ Report FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2013

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists ACN 000 644 404

The Board of the College has pleasure in presenting their report together with the financial report for the year ended 30 June 2013 and the auditor’s report thereon.

The Financial Statements submitted include all Branches.

DirectorsThe names of each person who has been a director during the year and to the date of this report are:

Dr Stephen Best A/Prof Mark Daniell Dr Bradley HorsburghDr Mark Renehan

Prof Stuart Graham Dr Catherine GreenDr Arthur KaragiannisA/Prof Nitin Verma AM

Dr Diana SemmondsDr Heather MackDr William Glasson AO, (resigned November 2012)

In accordance with the Corporations Law, the Board reports that:

1. (a) During the financial year 7 meetings of the directors were held. The names of each person who has been a director and attendances of each director during the year and at the date of this Report are:

Meetings held whilst a Director Meetings attended

Dr W Glasson (resigned November 2012) 3 3Dr M Renehan 7 6Dr S Best 7 7A/Prof M Daniell 7 7Dr D Semmonds 7 7Dr C Green 7 7Dr B Horsburgh 7 7Prof S Graham 7 7Dr H Mack 7 7A/Prof N Verma 7 6Dr A Karagiannis 7 7

1. (b) The Company Secretary is the College Chief Executive Officer, Dr David Andrews, appointed in February 2013.

2. RANZCO’s mission is to drive improvements in eye health care in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region through continuing exceptional training, education, research and advocacy.

Underpinning all RANZCO’s work is a commitment to:

Best Patient Outcomes: aiming to ensure equitable access to the highest quality eye health for all.

Education and training: providing contemporary education, training and continuing professional development.

Evidence based decision making: using research to underpin improvements in education, training and eye health care

Collaboration: working with others involved in the delivery of eye health care nationally and internationally.

Collegiality: supporting trainees and Fellows through all stages of their careers.

3. RANZCO is the professional body representing the almost 1000 ophthalmologists (medical eye specialists) in Australia and New Zealand.

Our Vocational Training ProgramThe objective of our vocational training program is to train specialist ophthalmologists, who, on completion of training are equipped to undertake safe, unsupervised, comprehensive ophthalmology practice.

A Fellow of the College is trained not only as an ophthalmic expert and clinical decision maker, but also as a communicator, collaborator, manager, health advocate, scholar and professional.


Standards for Scope of Practice, Education and TrainingRANZCO has developed peer-reviewed curriculum performance standards for the basic ophthalmic sciences and clinical ophthalmology. These underpin all training and assessment, and ensure consistency, validity and reliability.

Training networks are usually based in major metropolitan hospitals, with rotating positions to smaller institutions. Inspection and accreditation of training posts are undertaken regularly and include assessment of teaching facilities, supervisor/trainee arrangements, and trainees’ clinical and surgical experience.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)RANZCO has demonstrated leadership in recognizing the importance of life-long learning and professional development for ophthalmologists. The CPD framework is designed to provide Fellows with a structured approach to planning their continuing education, and supports activities that cover a wide range of skills, including not just clinical knowledge and expertise, but also risk management, clinical governance and professional values.

Vision 2020: The Right to SightAs a member of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and participant in the global initiative, VISION 2020: The Right to Sight, the College seeks to contribute to ensuring high quality ophthalmic education and professional standards for eye care professionals in the Asia-Pacific region.

Key Performance MeasuresThe company measures its own performance through the use of both quantitative and qualitative benchmarks. The benchmarks are used by the directors to assess the financial sustainability of the company and whether the company’s short-term and long-term objectives are being achieved.

2013 2012 Members

Fellows: 1009 1102Honorary Fellows: 21 20Overseas Fellows: 72 62Associate Members: 364 325Total Members: 1466 1509

Educational Outcomes

New Fellows from Training Program 29 24New Fellows from S–IMG Program 9 6Number of Trainees 162 162

Operational and FinancialProportion of funding provided by:Membership subscriptions 36% 36%Education & Training Fees 21% 23%Investment Income 5% 6%Journal Royalties/Grant 17% 14%Scientific Congress 11% 9%Sundry Income 10% 12%


36%

10%

21%5%

17%

11%Membership subscriptions

Sundry Income

Investment Income

Journal and Royalities/Grants

Scientific Congress

Education and Training Fees



6%

6%

4%

4%

Personnel

Travel and Accommodation

Disbursements/others

Communications

Finance and Legal

Building and Office

Education and Training

39%

18%

23%

4. The net surplus of the College for the 12 months ended 30 June 2013 from ordinary activities was $1,671,308 and total comprehensive income for the year was $2,716,884

5. No further developments in the operations of the College are contemplated at this time.

6. No Director has received, either directly or indirectly, any remuneration including fees, salaries, bonuses or commissions from the College.

7. The College has paid a premium for Directors’ and Officers’ Liability Insurance for all past, present and future officers of the College.

8. All members of the Board of the College retired in accordance with the Articles of Association and the Constitution.

9. The entity is incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001 and is an entity limited by guarantee. If the entity is wound up, the constitution states that each member is required to contribute a maximum of $20 each towards meeting any outstanding obligations of the entity. As at 30 June 2013 the collective liability of members was $29,320 (2012:$30,180).

Auditor’s Independence DeclarationThe auditor’s independence declaration for the year ended 30 June 2013 has been received and is attached.

For and on behalf of the Board of Directors and in accordance with a resolution of the Directors

S Best, Director B Horsburgh, Director

Sydney, 27 September 2013 Sydney, 27 September 2013

Proportion of Spending spent on:

2013 2012

Personnel 39% 43%

Education and Training 23% 22%

Communications 6% 5%

Finance and Legal 6% 2%

Building & Office 4% 5%

Travel & Accommodation 4% 5%

Disbursements/others 18% 18%



Directors’ DeclarationThe Directors of the Company, The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists declare that:

(1) The financial statements and notes are in accordance with the Corporations Act 2001, and:

(a) comply with Accounting Standards and the Corporations Regulations 2001; and

(b) give a true and fair view of the Company’s financial position as at 30th June, 2013 and of its performance, as represented by the results of their operations, changes in members funds and their cash flows for the year ended on that date.

(2) In the Directors’ opinion there are reasonable grounds to believe that the Company will be able to pay its debts as and when they become due and payable.

This declaration is made in accordance with a resolution of the Directors.

For and behalf of the Board

S Best, Director B Horsburgh, Director

Sydney, 27 September 2013 Sydney, 27 September 2013

Auditor’s Independence Declaration Under Section 307Cof The Corporations Act 2001

I declare that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, during the year ended 30 June 2013 there has been:

(i) no contraventions of the auditor independence requirements as set out in the Corporations Act 2001 in relation to the audit;

and

(ii) no contraventions of any applicable code of professional conduct in relation to the audit.



Statement of Financial Position AS AT 30 JUNE, 2013

2012 2013

($) CURRENT ASSETS ($)

5,188,335 Cash and cash equivalents 7,351,103

351,226 Receivables 326,716 387,094 Prepayments 211,920

5,926,655 TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 7,889,739

NON-CURRENT ASSETS

3,724,826 Financial Assets 4,769,533 2,676,435 Property, Plant and Equipment 2,653,116 - Intangible Assets - 21,890 Inventories 20,750

6,423,151 TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS 7,443,399

12,349,806 TOTAL ASSETS 15,333,138

CURRENT LIABILITIES

3,066,547 Payables 3,309,791

31,082 Provisions 41,973

3,097,629 TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES 3,351,764

NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES

6,276 Other 6,276

6,276 TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES 6,276

3,103,905 TOTAL LIABILITIES 3,358,040

$9,245,901 NET ASSETS $11,975,098

MEMBERS FUNDS

2,013,497 Reserves 3,094,374

7,232,404 Retained Earnings 8,880,724

$9,245,901 TOTAL MEMBERS FUNDS $11,975,098



Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE, 2013

2012 2013 ($) ($)

Revenue 1,394,479 College Education and Training Fees 1,492,088 2,173,504 College Membership Subscriptions 2,628,291 333,868 College Investments 372,753 515,266 College Scientific Congress & Conferences 802,775

Grants 863,071 Scholarship & Travel Grants Received 1,186,534 736,038 Other Income from Ordinary Activities 732,291

Other Overseas Development - IAPB / PEI 184,890 - FHF/IODR 109,078 - ABI Cambodia Extension Phase 2 119,012 - REF Pacific Nations 9,581 - Cambodia Vision Project 45,519

- Monetary - - Non-Monetary - - Bequest and legacies - - AusAid - 333,561 Other overseas - - Investment Income - - Other income - - Revenue for International Political or - Religious Adherence Promotion Programs

333,561 468,080

6,349,787 7,682,812

Less: Expense

40,154 Depreciation Expense 43,547 - Provision for Doubtful Debts - 179,448 Finance, Legal & Auditing Services 345,062 256,509 Communications System Expenses 352,682 287,953 Building & Office Costs 194,044 2,328,440 Staff Costs 2,169,170 246,807 Travel & Accommodation Expenses 225,765 1,205,974 Education & Training, Other Service Costs 1,254,149 130,162 Contribution to ORIA 137,470 500 Scholarship Grants Paid 500 13,908 Grant to Save Sight Society of NZ 13,338 3,918 Donations to Vision 2020 Consortium - 1,000 Sponsorship Registrars Conference 1,000 62,276 Other Donations – Made by Branches 15,323 339,548 Printing, Publicity & Public Relations 210,387 147,717 Branch Expenditure 210,426 229,202 Branch Conference & Congress Meeting Expenditure 370,561



International Aid and Development Programs Expenditure 2012 2013

($) ($)

307,657 - Funds to International Programs

- IAPB / PEI 120,196 - FHF / IODR 17,927 - ABI Cambodia Extension Phase 2 113,091 - REF Pacific Nations 7,684 - Cambodia Vision Project 7,481

307,657 266,379

25,904 -Program Support Costs - IAPB / PEI 64,694 - FHF / IODR 91,151 - ABI Cambodia Extension Phase 2 5,921 - REF Pacific Nations 1,897 - Cambodia Vision Project 38,038 - Community Education - - Fundraising costs - - Public - - Government, multilateral and private - - Accountability and administration - - Non monetary expenditure -

333,561 Total International Aid and Development 468,080 Program Expenditure International Political or religious adherence - Promotion programs expenditure - - Domestic program expenditure - - Total other expenditure -

5,807,077 6,011,504

542,710 Surplus/(Deficit) for the year 1,671,308

64,484 Mary Tilden Fund 781,801 Neville Banks Fund 258,410 240,098 Alan James Fund 191,697 (162,057) CGT – Realised Losses (3,328) - Donation – others (30,000)

1,467,036 Net Surplus/(Deficit) 2,088,087

Other Comprehensive Income for the year

121,005 Write back prior years decrease of disposed Managed Funds & Listed Enquiries - (70,467) Net increase/decrease) in Managed Funds & Listed Equities 335,667 (61,400) Net increase/(decrease)in Bank CDO Securities in year 293,130

(10,862) 628,797

1,456,174 Total Comprehensive Income for the year 2,716,884

1,456,174 Profit attributable to the members of the entity 2,716,884

1,456,174 Total comprehensive income attributable to members 2,716,884 of the entity


Statement of Changes in Members FundsFOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE, 2013

2012 2013

($) ($)

RESERVES

Capital Profits Reserve

1,386,288 Balance 30th June, 2013 1,386,288

Presidential Chain Revaluation Reserve

13,337 Balance 30th June, 2013 13,337

Revaluation Reserve

(491,649) Balance 1 July (502,511)

(10,862) Other Comprehensive income for the year 628,797

(502,511) Balance 30 June 2013 126,286

Special Projects Reserve

30,000 Balance 1 July 30,000

64,484 Mary Tilden Fund 66,457

781,801 Neville Banks Fund 1,040,212

240,098 Alan James Fund 431,794

1,116,383 Balance 30 June 2013 1,568,463

$2,013,497 Total Reserves $3,094,374

RETAINED EARNINGS

Retained Profits at the Beginning of the

6,841,063 Financial Year 7,232,404

1,467,036 Surplus/ (Deficit) Attributable to Members 2,088,087

10,688 Gain/ (loss) on Foreign Exchange 12,313

Transfer Bequest Funds to Reserves

(64,484) Mary Tilden Fund (1,973)

(781,801) Neville Banks Fund (258,410)

(240,098) Alan James Fund (191,697)

$7,232,404 Retained Earnings at the end of Financial Year $8,880,724

$9,245,901 TOTAL MEMBERS FUNDS $11,975,098


The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists has developed a new three year Strategic Plan. This sets the direction for growth and improvement in services to our members, and the public we serve. The College’s Mission remains:

To drive improvements in eye healthcare in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region through continuing exceptional training, education, research and advocacy. Underpinning all RANZCO’s work is a commitment to:

Best Patient Outcomes: aiming to ensure equitable access to the highest quality eye health for all

Education and training: providing contemporary education, training and continuing professional development

Evidence based decision making: using research to underpin improvements in education, training and eye health care

Collaboration: working with others involved in the delivery of eye health care nationally and internationally

Collegiality: supporting trainees and Fellows through all stages of their career

The Strategic Plan shows the dynamic interaction between all areas of College activity, underpinned by a strong base of Resources which includes expertise and collaboration of Fellows; Finance;

IT; Communications; and Events. With any activity or direction taken by the College, Fellows and Members there is an expectation that all will adhere to the College’s Professional Code of Conduct and act in an ethical manner. The Strategic Plan will form the basis of business and operational plans, and will be reviewed annually and modified as necessary. The Strategic plan has been developed by the Board and senior staff, and endorsed by RANZCO’s Council.

EDUCATION, TRAINING & RESEARCHENSURE QUALITY THROUGH:• Robust selection process• Rigorous accreditation of training posts• Regular curriculum review and development• Continued stringent S-IMG assessment

SUPPORT FELLOWS THROUGH:• Coaching, mentoring, training and leadership

development• Planning tools• Stronger ties with the Ophthalmic Research

Institute of Australia

EXPAND TRAINING CAPABILITIES BY:• Supporting ophthalmology through training of

Allied Health and General Practitioners• Review of ophthalmology training pathways

RELATIONSHIPS & ADVOCACYPOLICIES:• Provide collaborative integrated care model,

especially with optometry• Build external relationships and influence eye

health policy• Develop and communicate coordinated message

and branding• Develop and refine RANZCO policies• Develop RANZCO position on Aboriginal, Maori

and Torres Strait Islander eye health

ADVOCACY:• Ensure medical oversight of Australians’ and

New Zealanders’ eye-care needs• General public (Patient) education and

empowerment• Continue to develop strong bonds with the

Australian Society of Ophthalmologists and Ophthalmology New Zealand

MEMBERSHIP/FELLOWSHIP & STANDARDSCONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD):• Develop appropriate CPD standards and resources

MEMBERSHIP SERVICES:• Expand leadership and management teaching• Ensure appropriate membership structure• Expand support to Practice Managers and Allied

Health

QUALITY & STANDARDS:• Develop practice accreditation• Set professional standards• Consider and develop clinical audits• Uphold Professional Code of Conduct

DEVELOPMENTDEVELOP EDUCATION AND TRAINING:• Continue focus on Asia-Pacific• Focus on education and training, not service

delivery• Build external relationships• Support appropriate policies and programs

RANZCO EYE FOUNDATION:• Continue to develop strong bonds with RANZCO

Eye Foundation• Seek funding for appropriate development

activities

RESOURCES (FELLOWS & CORPORATE)

RANZCO Strategic Plan 2013-2016Ophthalmologists Leading Eye-Care

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists94-98 Chalmers Street Surry Hills NSW 2010 AUSTRALIAPh: +61 2 9690 1001 Fax: +61 2 96901321Email: [email protected] Website: www.ranzco.edu

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