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Live presentations are always stimulating, but the OBC: Opticians of British Columbia and its partner, the Opticians Association of Canada, are working hard to make available to you internet and other online options. We also believe there are many untapped educational resources right within your own community, and our aim is to help you mine those resources.

Important Notice re: Mandatory Continuing Education

There is some misunderstanding about the meaning of the RF category of continuing education credits. This is not a mandatory category. You are required to collect a minimum number of CL and EG credits depending upon whether you are registered to fit eyeglasses only or whether or you registered to fit both eyeglasses and contact lenses.

The RF category means 'Related Field' and is designed as an enabling category. For example if you have completed all but one or two of your credits and have no further opportunity to collect eyeglass or contact lens credits, BUT you have recently volunteered at your child's school to do vision screening, that can count as an RF credit and will allow you to fulfill your requirement.

You are not required to collect RF credits. If you have completed an activity that comes under the RF category you may use that activity towards your total mandatory requirements but you do not have to have any RF Credits.

Innovation continues to be the hallmark of events organized by the OBC: Opticians of British Columbia as demonstrated by the recent educational series in Vancouver and Victoria. 

On April 3rd and 4th the OBC: Opticians of British Columbia, in collaboration with Transitions Optical and Douglas College, hosted capacity crowds to the lecture theaters at the Douglas College campuses in New Westminster and Coquitlam for three-hours of continuing education. Leading off the evening, Brett Carels of Transitions Optical lectured on the History of Photochromics.  Participants were delighted to receive the new Transitions t-shirts with UV sensitive patches designed to alert the wearer when the UV danger level has been reached. 

The second part of the evening was a series of presentations by the students of Douglas College on themes ranging from strabismus to corneal edema.  Registrants were impressed with the caliber and content of these student presentations and many have told us that the material offered them a much needed and timely review of important information they learned but have allowed to be pushed aside. Ted Littlewood and the students of Douglas College are to be congratulated on their very professional showing and as the national colleagues we look forward to welcoming a new generation of energetic and motivated opticians.

Brett Carels was once again front and centre with his presentation in Victoria on April 5th  at the Ambrosia Conference Centre, while part 2 of the evening shifted to the theme of MCE on a Budget.  Cindy Koszegi, OBC President, got the participants actively involved in understanding how they could become their own source of continuing education using sweat equity and the submission format devised by the College of Opticians of British Columbia QA committee. Participants were broken down into working groups and spent time developing themes and sub-topics they could use in their own study group.  The OBC: Opticians of British Columbia will be hosting this same con ed event throughout the lower mainland and the rest of the province over the coming months.  Upcoming dates will be posted on the OBC website.