I trust you are all keeping well and safe. I have been fortunate to have recently returned from trekking the Larapinta Trek out of Alice Springs.
My wife Tania and I travelled with two other like-minded couples, included in a group of sixteen.
The amazing freedom of being able to travel out of WA was so liberating.
It was quite exciting to travel on a plane after my last trip in November 2019. When was your last flight?
If you have not had the opportunity to travel to the big red centre of our magnificent country, I urge you to. The beauty of our country is so amazing.
Our trek was fabulous. To be on top of Mount Sonder at 1,350metres high on a stunning blue-sky day and have lunch looking across the MacDonnell Ranges, was just breathtaking.
The ability to be out of Perth enjoying amazing views, terrific company and exercising, is something I would recommend to you all.
In our world of Covid and less travel, I have noticed a lot of our Ezekiel Eyes patients are on a treadmill with little or no travel excursions planned.
I encourage you all to have a break away from your routine/work/home/play and get away. A break for you will recharge your body/brain and your eyes, from all those digital devices.
Make sure you encourage your loved ones to also take regular breaks and downtime.
The Covid lockdown/slowdown is out of the way for the time being, so let’s get back to some kind of better balance of life.
Ezekiel Eyes as a Team would like to thank Maureen for the most amazing and sterling achievement.
After 25 years she has decided it is time to retire and spend some time on herself.
We believe that some of these quotes sum up the most amazing dedication that Maureen has given to both the staff and patients of Ezekiel Eyes.
Thank You Gifts for Maureen and Tracey from Elisa (a patient)!
(The photos above are of gifts sent in today from a patient…
One is a box for Maureen on a well-deserved retirement from Ezekiel Eyes.
The other is a box for Tracey to welcome her to Ezekiel Eyes.
The incredible aspect of Ezekiel Eyes that our environment is like a large family. Thank you, Elisa, for the beautiful gifts and thoughts!)
From our Ezekiel Eyes Team:
“When you’ve worked alongside someone for over 17 years, not only do you get to know them as a colleague, but you also get to know them on a personal level.
As a work colleague, Maureen’s dedication and work ethic is unsurpassed. It has been an absolute pleasure working alongside Maureen and she will be missed.
On a personal level, family is everything to Maureen. From her children through to her grandchildren her face always lights up when she talks about them.
I wish Maureen a long and happy retirement!”
“I’ve enjoyed working with Maureen and she is as a loyal and dedicated employee, which is a rare quality these days.
She is such a trooper, being the first person to arrive at work and hardly takes a decent break during working hours.
I wish her a happy and enjoyable retirement.”
Do you have a story about how Maureen has gone above and beyond for you?
Maureeen….now it is time to spend a little time on you. Thank you so much for your dedication and loyalty for so many years.
I know all the team at Ezekiel Eyes will miss you as will our many patients.
All the best for a safe, healthy, and wonderful retirement.
We are excited to share some news- but we’ll let Felix share it…
“We are happy to welcome our second son, Liam into our family!
My wife, Devi, and baby Liam are both at home and doing well.
(Levi, Felix, Liam and Devi Sugiarto)
We are grateful for our medical care- Osborne Park Hospital is great.
Back at home, our first son, Levi, took a while to warm up to baby Liam. Now he gently strokes Liam’s head, gives him kisses, and places toy cars on baby Liam’s blanket.
My older sister is in America and my younger sister is in Indonesia. My parents have both passed away.
Due to COVID restrictions, my wife’s parents cannot visit Perth. We’ve been able to video chat with them often.
Once the border is open, my wife’s parents are looking forward to meeting our two sons.
We’re excited to watch the boys grow and seeing their characters and interests develop.”
It can be exciting to see stories of real people getting the care they deserve and finding hope again.
Whether you have a friend or loved one who struggles due to illness, or you enjoy hearing about innovations in medicine, a lot of work has taken place before it makes the news.
This month, we’re celebrating International Day of Girls and Women in Science.
We spoke to Felix Sugiarto and Damon Ezekiel about women who inspire them.
Felix:
Anne Sullivan inspires me:
I admire Anne Sullivan, an American teacher for Helen Keller. Anne was widely recognized for her achievement in educating to a high level a person without sight, hearing, or normal speech.
She patiently taught Helen Keller a manual alphabet and painstakingly spelled out the lectures to Hellen Keller for hours.
A local Woman in Science:
In late 2021, I met a person at Vision Australia who has a vision disability.
Despite her condition, and with the help of Vision Australia, she was able to obtain a university degree. She now works part-time as an assessor at the university.
Her passion to succeed and the number of people and guide dogs who have helped in her journey were amazing.
Damon shares how Prof Stephanie Watson inspires him:
Prof Watson is an amazing lady who is very successful in a male-dominated environment.
She has risen to the top of the ophthalmology field, and in 2021, was awarded a place in the Global Top 100 Women in Ophthalmology.
She is not just an amazing surgeon but also an incredible researcher.
I think the adversity she would have been up against as a female in a male dominated profession would have been enough for some people to give up, however she was determined to excel.
We celebrate these women for their contribution to the lives of many people.
Ever wondered how Damon and Felix update their knowledge or skills?
They love keeping their skills up to date!
Recently, they attended their first face-to-face conference in three years – the WA State Optometry Conference in Fremantle.
We spoke to them about their experience:
How does it feel to be face to face again at a conference?
Felix shared “It felt great, and I really enjoyed meeting people and suppliers and participating in competitions.
I saw people from my age group who recently opened their own practices.
I met a Geraldton optometrist who drives a van once a fortnight, performing eye examinations in nearby towns like Dongara, Jurien Bay and Kalbarri.
They have been serving these areas for over 20 years!”
Damon agreed “It was so good to be back at an in-person conference.
The presentations were great and the networking at morning tea/lunch was terrific. Bring back in-person learning.”
What is one thing that you learned that surprised you?
Felix: “Our practice has been set up with great technology and we can continue to explore the features of our equipment in more detail and help patients in more ways.”
Damon: “How much I missed in-person learning and mixing with my colleagues and industry representatives.”
How has the conference changed the way you practice?
Felix: “I learned how to problem-solve specialised contact lens designs (e.g. sleep-in lenses that mould your eyes overnight, or OrthoK).
This framework helps me to tweak the lenses better if they do not work as planned.”
Damon: “We have already changed the way we test for our visual fields. We use an alternative test to the one we have been using regularly.
This test gives us a better way to measure our patient’s central visual field. That is, the part that we see straight ahead, rather than the side.”
Tell us about a new technology you saw in action or any new equipment that caught your eye. What impressed you about this?
Felix: “I saw one machine that allows us to get several high-tech measurements all in one machine.
These measurements allow us to custom-design a pair of lenses.”
Due to the detail and costs associated with this instrument, it is more for an ophthalmologist or researcher to utilise than an optometrist.
However, it was great to see it in action and know what is available for patients.”
What do you enjoy about visiting Fremantle?
Felix: “My family and I stayed for three nights, in the same hotel as the Conference. We enjoy walking everywhere in Fremantle.
The restaurants, markets, hotel, park, museum and beach are all within walking distance.”
Damon: “Fremantle is a great funky town that offers so much for everyone -from cafes, restaurants, art galleries, movies, the famous Fremantle Markets, and the general bohemian vibe.”
Any other comments about your Conference?
Felix: “It was great to win a small gift card from one of our suppliers, OPTOS.
The OPTOS instrument allows us to take a larger/wider photo of our retina (back of the eye).
Many of our patients have experienced the photos and have enjoyed the extra benefits the OPTOS instruments adds to care of their eyes.”
Damon: “I am very keen to attend my next presentation or conference in person.
It is such a great vibe and I loved seeing what I have missed over the past two years by learning through the virtual world.”
Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Felix and Damon. You can see that they enjoy staying up to date with their knowledge and skills, right?