The Host Site
The Head of Orthoptics, Mrs. Chris Timms and the entire orthoptic group; Mr. John Lee, Mr. John Sloper, Miss Gill Adams and other doctors did everything they could to help me learn more about strabismus diagnosis, management, surgery, and botulinum toxin injections. I could observe all documentation concerning orthoptic observation and botulinum toxin treatment. I could be present during consultations of children and adult patients, strabismic surgery in the theatre, ask questions, and discuss orthoptic investigative techniques and peculiarities of orthoptic observations. I also visited the library and made copies of chapters of some books in orthoptics. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to observe any lectures to orthoptic students and ophthalmologists in training as there were no students during my period of stay.
Fortunately, Mrs. Chris Timms kindly gave me the schedule, standards on orthoptics in UK and Ireland and program of teaching in orthoptics. I even got to visit her at home! So I am very grateful for her participation in the IOA Exchange Program by being a Host Site. We spoke about training courses in our country and that maybe it would be possible to make a project with Moorfields Hospital and our Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases.
I am deeply appreciative to the IOA Exchange Program and would like to add my special thanks to Katherine J. Fray, Chairman of the IOA International Relations Committee and to the IOA President, Elizabeth Caines. You helped me realize my dream of observing orthoptics in other countries so we can try to organize the profession in our country. I hope it is only beginning of our cooperation between orthoptics and Ukraine.
Sincerely yours,
Iryna Boychuk
