Masterclass Knowledge Fest-5 A hands-on approach to Optometry

Masterclass Optometry has established itself as a quality education provider to practitioners, students, and educators through various customized education programs- Masterclass Knowledge Fest, an international optometry conference being the flagship program. This year Masterclass Knowledge fest 5 was conducted on 9-11^th February 2024 at Bogmallo Beach Resort, Goa. The popularity of the Masterclass can be seen through the increasing numbers of participants attending this conference which was started by Optom Yeshwant Saoji and Optom Nilesh Thite with a motive to bridge the gap between institutional education and practice management.

OCI actively took part in Masterclass knowledge fest 5 on all 3 days of conference. Ms. Lakshmi Shinde (CEO), Ms. Paula Mukherjee (COO) and Ms. Harshada Kale (Head of Education) represented OCI at the conference. Day 1 started with the sessions on Practice management and Myopia management in the practice by renowned speakers. Ms. Lakshmi Shinde participated in a talk on “Why should I practice Myopia Management?” With Dr. Pavan Verkicharla.

Ms. Lakshmi was felicitated by Optom Nilesh Thite for her engrossing talk and role play on Myopia management.

The second day was all about Contact lens practice and Optical practice. Ms. Lakshmi Shinde participated in a panel discussion on the topic of “ Addressing the Challenges in contact lens wear” along with Ms. Monica Chaudhary and Ms. Saranya B which was moderated by Ms. Isha Dave. It was an insightful session and engaged participants in finding opportunities over challenges.

The highlight of the second day was the session taken by Mr. Raj Raghavan on Managing Human resources and leadership skills which was very well taken by the attendees.

On Third day, Ms. Lakshmi Shinde moderated the Panel discussion on “Gear up for the regulated optometry practice” where Dr. Aditya Goyal, Mr. Amod Gogate, Ms. Isha Dave were the panelists. It was a great session with some insights on regulations in optometry practice. Later, sessions on Presbyopia and Binocular Vision were taken by some eminent speakers like Ms. Monica Chaudhary, Abhinav Maharwal, Shrikant Maseedupalli along with the industry people’s talk on their products.

The third day last session was a panel discussion on “How we can contribute to community eye health”. It was moderated by Ms. Paula Mukherjee (COO, OCI) and panelists were Mr. Premjit Bhakat, Mr. Nagraju Pamarathi, Mr. Paras Vikamani and Ms. Isha Dave. It was a great session with different opinions and insights from educators and people working in community optometry.

Most of these aspects of clinical and optical practice are not covered in a typical optometry curriculum. Hence, most of the learning happens after starting to work in an optometry practice (on-the-job learning). Masterclass Optometry bridges the gap between academic teaching and demands of practice by exposing optometrists to a first-hand learning experience. The best in the field render their advice and expertise to practicing optometrists. Overall Masterclass Optometry was an enjoyable and rewarding experience for all the participants with engrossing talks on practice management and fun-filled Gala Dinner at an amazing location.