Derek Dunstone has considerable experience teaching and is an Examiner and Assessor for the College of Optometrists

- see "About Us" for further career background details.

Private tutorials are also available — practical and theoretical tuition by appointment.

Courses are held in private Practice in South Suffolk for both Ophthalmologists and Pre-Registration Optometrists.

Refraction and Optics for Ophthalmologists

Next course: Friday 9 - Sunday 11 January 2009 

Thank you for your interest in this course, which has been held at least three times each year over the last seven years. I am an Assessor and Examiner for The College of Optometrists and the course is held in my private practice in South Suffolk. Hadleigh is a historic market town, which has a good choice of accommodation and is situated 9 miles from Ipswich. 

The object of the course is to teach the theory and practice of refraction and is of particular help for those studying for the Royal College of Ophthalmologists practical Refraction Certificate, and also some of the Parts 1 & 2 Fellowship syllabus are included. The course is suitable both for doctors just starting to refract, as well as those wishing to fine-tune their technique.

The course covers in lectures, demonstrations and workshops the following topics: -

• Geometric and Clinical Optics
• Clinical Refraction
• Objective Refraction (Retinoscopy)
• Subjective Refraction
• Spectacle Lens Identification including Focimetry
• Low Vision Aids
• Keratometry
• Colour Vision           

Refraction skills will be gained by supervised practice on fellow delegates and real patients. Each delegate will thus be refracted by fellow delegates and may be asked to have soft contact lenses inserted to induce ametropia.       

Numbers are limited to just 8 delegates per course. Registration is from 3pm on the Friday, with lectures running from 3.30pm to 8.30pm that evening. The course then runs 9.30am - 6pm on Saturday and 9am until 12.30pm on Sunday. The course fee is £455 (Fee £413 + £42 VAT), which includes supper on the Friday evening, as well as lunch and evening meal on the Saturday, but not accommodation. To secure your place, please complete the application form and forward with payment. 

The Friday session teaches Geometric and Clinical Optics, including ametropia and its correction, accommodative problems, colour vision and some instrument technology. This is of particular interest to those studying towards the Part 1 Fellowship examination but is also essential in the understanding of how to refract. If a delegate has already passed the Part 1 examination and wished to miss the Friday session (and thus attend the course from the Saturday morning onwards) then a reduced fee of £390 is applicable. 

A map, details of recommended local accommodation and a receipt will be posted once your application form and payment are received.  

If you are not able to attend the course you are most welcome to attend for individual tuition, which is available by appointment. I often provide individual tuition for those unable to attend a course, or who want assistance in a specific area of refraction or optics, and this teaching is always found to be very useful by the delegates. The sessions can be from anything from 3 hours up to 12 hours (over 2 days) and normally include a couple of hours theory/teaching, a refraction demonstration, practice on patients and mock examination if required. The sessions can be tailored to your own requirements and my fee is £90 per hour. You could consider attending with a friend or colleague to share the cost. 

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. 

Yours faithfully

Derek J Dunstone BSc (Hons) MCOptom

Practice telephone 01473 823755

Comments from recent course attendees:

"I would highly recommend this course. Derek Dunstone is an extremely skilled teacher with lots of invaluable advice for those just starting to refract or for those already quite experienced". Andrea Ryan Sept 2008

".... thank you for the excellent tuition on your course at the beginning of January. I think that the main thing I gained from the course was the development of a reliable system for refracting, developed through all your useful tips, that would stand me in good stead for whatever was thrown at me in the exam. " Dr Oliver Comyn

"Excellent tips and practice in clinical refraction with a good overview of optics and use of instruments." Dr Arun Moreira

"Excellent introduction that I feel will serve me well as I gain clinical experience- thank you" Dr Ben Drew

"I did the course with you nine months after starting in ophthalmology and passed my part 2 at the first attempt. I had not done any refraction prior to the course and felt it was a very good introduction to both the optics of refraction and actual practical refraction. I also thoroughly enjoyed the course." Clare Kelliher MRCOphth

"All the help you need for part 2 refraction exam. An excellent practice oriented course." Dr Sarmi Malik

"Everything was really well organised" Dr Eleni Nikita

Course Application form (In Adobe PDF format. If you haven't already got Adobe Acrobat, please click here...)
Alternatively, Contact Us for an application form.

Tuition for Pre-registration Optometrists

Individual or small group tutorials by appointment. These sessions have proved extremely useful to those Pre-reg Optoms who have attended to date and can be tailor made to your own requirements.

Private tuition can be arranged as preparation for the quarterly assessments or final College examination, although not for my own designated trainees for whom I will be carrying out the assessments. These sessions can concentrate on Competencies as yet not satisfied by your Assessor or provide coaching for the Final Examination. I can focus on all or some of the four areas of the Final Examination (ie ODA, Clinical Decision Making, Contact Lenses or Routine Exam) and teach any practical or theoretical element of the competecies involved.

I also give tuition at excellent courses run by Jane Macnaughton of Clearview Training - see www.clearviewtraining.co.uk

Course Application form (In Adobe PDF format. If you haven't already got Adobe Acrobat, please click here...)

Please contact me if you have any questions regarding the courses held in the practice or if you are interested in individual tutorial or mock examination.

Derek Dunstone 01473 823755