A new OCT advice and education platform has just been launched. OCT Forum provides free to use access to multiple discussion boards, open to clinicians and technicians of all experience levels. The site was set up by Optometrist, Jason Higginbotham.
The growing member database will be able to post advice requests on specific cases, or ask questions on key OCT topics and other members will be free to provide answers or ask further questions.
There are also regular educational posts and members are encouraged to also share interesting cases, papers, or ideas linked to OCT.
Jason commented, ‘although the site is UK based, I want it to be open to anyone, anywhere. I hope people of all skill sets and knowledge levels will join. The aim of the site is to promote ocular OCT and its many uses and to educate all users of the technology to improve patient outcomes and reduce false positive referrals into secondary care.’
Jason is well known for providing a great deal of CPD in the UK, a lot of which is based around retinal OCT, OCT-A, and other related topics. He was also instrumental in developing education portals for several OCT suppliers in the UK.
You can register to join OCT forum here: www.octforum.com
There are also regular blogs posted on the site and there will soon be a newsletter which will provide interesting updates on the world of ocular OCT.
The main topic boards currently on the site include:
- Posterior (retinal) OCT
- Anterior OCT
- OCT-A (angiography)
- OCT Topography and Tomography
- OCT Biometry and other topics
OCT Forum say there will be other boards and topics as members suggest or request. It is possible to have private boards set up if required as well.
Jason added, ‘I’ve been amazed at the initial response with hundreds of members signing up. You can engage as much or as little as you see fit and you can choose how much information you receive. It’s possible to receive an email update on a specific post, topic, or the whole forum, or you can just visit the site when you feel like it. I don’t want people to feel they are being ‘spammed’ as members of the site’.
One area Jason feels passionate about is the issue of false positive referrals from OCT, particularly with regards to glaucoma. This is a major problem in the UK, primarily caused by a lack of understanding of the nature of OCT normative data as well as the validity of OCT in screening for the condition.
Jason commented, ‘OCT has transformed retinal diagnostics over the past few decades and is one of the most significant advances in clinical ocular imaging ever. However, with conditions like Glaucoma, many would argue that OCT has not had as much of a positive impact and could potentially have led to overburdened secondary care ophthalmology outpatient appointments.’
OCT Forum also includes an ‘OCT & Glaucoma’ topic board with advice and education around avoiding false positive referrals, whilst also avoiding false negatives.
OCT Forum will grow as a resource to reassure clinicians and shed some light on advances in the technology. If you have an OCT case, you’re unsure about, or have something interesting to share, then go along to the site and get posting!
Jason Higginbotham
www.octforum.com