OPN162 Contact Lens Practice
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | OPN162 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
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| CSP student contribution | $1,118 |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $3,180 |
| International unit fee | $4,284 |
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal
| Unit code: | OPN162 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Coordinator: | Michael Collins | m.collins@qut.edu.au |
Overview
Contact lenses are an important clinical option for the correction of refractive errors of the eye. This unit lays the foundation for the development of your knowledge and skills in contact lens clinical practice, which you will build upon in future didactic and clinical units in the course.
This is a designated unit which is essential to your course progression. Designated units include professional experience units, units requiring the development of particular skills, and units requiring demonstration of certain personal qualities. If you fail to achieve a satisfactory level of performance in a designated unit, you may be excluded from enrolment or will be put on academic probation. If you fail a designated unit twice within your course, you may be excluded. Supplementary assessment is not available on designated units.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Apply knowledge and explain the relative clinical merits of various contact lens materials, lens types and designs, lens care regimes and the appropriate hygiene practices for patients and optometrists.
- Perform the appropriate clinical tests to determine the patient's suitability for contact lenses, fit, assess and dispense a patient with appropriate contact lenses.
- Critically assess and manage the symptoms and signs presented by a contact lens patient.
- Critically assess sustainability initiatives in contact lens clinical practice and the contact lens industry.
- Perform digital skills in the application of computer-based clinical instrumentation
Content
This unit covers the foundational knowledge and skills required for contact lens practice. You will be given the relevant knowledge and skills to acquire appropriate clinical information from a patient, prescribe contact lenses safely and effectively, develop an appropriate patient management and treatment plan, record all relevant information, and communicate clearly and professionally with a patient and colleagues. You will gain experience in using digital devices relevant to contact lens fitting and the assessment of corneal topography. You will also learn about sustainability initiatives in contact lens clinical practice and the industry.
Learning Approaches
This unit will be comprised of lectures by the staff of the school, guest lectures by specialist contact lens practitioners, tutorials and hands-on practical sessions. Lecturers will use numerous case-based examples of clinical situations to develop your understanding of analytical thinking and problem solving. Practical sessions will provide the opportunity for the development of clinical skills, digital skills in the use of clinical instrumentation and analytical skills with direct and immediate summative feedback from qualified optometrists.
A collection of digital videos of clinical skills and the use of clinical instruments are available in the Media Gallery to help your learning of the clinical skills and your understanding of the digital aspects of contact lens clinical instrumentation.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
You will gain summative feedback from the supervising optometrists and peers in this unit by participating in practical classes and tutorials.
You will gain formative feedback from undertaking the online quizzes in Canvas for this unit.
You will receive written feedback on your mid-semester assessment and final assessment.
Assessment
Overview
Formative Assessment
Practical classes include individual feedback on proficiency with a range of clinical contact lens skills.
Practical classes and tutorials include discussions of clinical techniques and clinical case management with the supervising optometrist.
Summative Assessment
The mid-semester assessment includes treatment and management scenarios related to contact lens clinical practice. In particular, the focus is on basic contact lens clinical techniques, contact lens types, contact lens fitting and dispensing scenarios.
The practical examination requires individual demonstration of a range of contact lens-related clinical skills. You demonstrate each learned skill to a supervising optometrist who also asks you questions about the skill and provides you with formative and summative feedback. You will be required to repeat the skills until you reach the required skill level.
The end-of-semester theory examination is a written examination and includes questions requiring your integration of the knowledge, critical thinking and practical skills developed in the unit. The examination will include questions related to patient signs and symptoms leading to diagnosis, treatment and management related to contact lens practice.
Satisfactory performance of at least 50% must be obtained on the end of semester examination for a passing grade to be awarded.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Mid-semester examination
The mid-semester assessment includes treatment and management scenarios related to contact lens clinical practice. In particular, the focus is on basic contact lens clinical techniques, contact lens types, contact lens fitting and dispensing scenarios. Clinical images are often used in the questions. Questions will be multiple choice or short answer style.
Assessment: Examination (Practical)
The practical examination requires individual demonstration of a range of contact lens-related clinical skills. You demonstrate each learned skill to a supervising optometrist who also asks you questions about the skill and provides you with formative and summative feedback. You will be required to repeat the skills until you reach the required skill level.
Assessment: End of semester examination
The end-of-semester theory examination is a written examination and includes questions requiring your integration of the knowledge, critical thinking and practical skills developed in the unit. The examination will include questions related to patient signs and symptoms leading to diagnosis, treatment and management related to contact lens practice. Questions will be essay style questions or questions requiring optical calculations.
Threshold Assessment:
Satisfactory performance of this assessment item is a condition for passing this unit. This means that at least 50% must be obtained on the end of semester examination for a passing grade to be awarded. The Faculty Threshold Assessment Policy will apply where student performance in an assessment item is unsatisfactory.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.
Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
Resource Materials
Recommended text(s)
OPN162 Contact Lens Studies, Practical Notes. Brisbane: QUT Publication (revised annually)
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.
Standards/Competencies
This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.
Entry-Level Competency Standards for Optometry 2014
1: Professional Responsibilities
Relates to: Mid-semester examination, Examination (Practical), End of semester examination
Relates to: Mid-semester examination, Examination (Practical), End of semester examination
Relates to: Mid-semester examination, Examination (Practical), End of semester examination
Relates to: Mid-semester examination, Examination (Practical), End of semester examination
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.OP85 Master of Optometry
- Theoretical optometric knowledge, cognitive, clinical and technical skills and research methodology in vision science
Relates to: Mid-semester examination, Examination (Practical), End of semester examination - Apply critical thinking and researchable questions to generate solutions to complex conditions in clinical and research settings
Relates to: Mid-semester examination, Examination (Practical) - Apply clinical skills to conduct assessment, diagnose and implement a management plan safely and effectively
Relates to: End of semester examination