Continuing education in optometry: Osnabrück and Jena 2025

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Author
DSc* MSc* FCOptom FAAO Wolfgang Cagnolati1
1*Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University, Philadelphia, PA, USA, Berliner Hochschule für Technik (BHT), University of Applied Sciences, Berlin, Germany, Optometrie Cagnolati GmbH, Duisburg, Germany

The amount of scientific publications in different disciplines is increasing significantly worldwide. This applies equally to optometry and ophthalmology. A good example for this is myopia. The total number of articles on the subject of myopia alone, after entering the keyword “myopia” in PubMed for the year 2014 on August 17 of this year, was 1,260, while for the year 2024 there were already 2,430 publications. This is consistent with Walther's statement that the amount of scientific knowledge nearly doubles every five to ten years.1  Also interesting in this context is a publication by Chow et al. on the often-cited half-life of knowledge, in which the authors analyzed the use of older citations in medical and scientific publications in an observational study.2 Without going into detail about the accuracy of the half-life of knowledge for different disciplines, regular continuing education and training is of fundamental importance for healthcare professions.

 A good example of this is the enormous growth in the amount of data currently available on myopia, which is almost impossible for clinicians, students, and university lecturers to manage. Continuing education and training events in the field of optometry primarily serve to guarantee excellent optometric care for the population and, if necessary, to improve it. To achieve this, the content of lectures, seminars, and workshops at conferences and other training events must provide new knowledge as well as repeating and, where necessary, updating established knowledge.

For the eye and vision care sector, the following two important events are coming up this October in Germany:

  • The most important German optometry congress, “SICHT.KONTAKTE 2025,” which will take place in Osnabrück from October 10 to 12. Organized by the three leading German scientific and professional optometry associations VDCO, ZVA, and IVBS, top-class speakers from optometry and ophthalmology will give presentations on current scientific topics (including myopia) and provide high-quality clinical workshops on three days.

  • The Jena Vision Conference celebrating the 20th anniversary of JENVIS Research, which will be held from October 31 to November 2 in Jena at the Zeiss Planetarium, Volksbad, and Jentower. Leading national and international speakers from optometry and ophthalmology will present scientific and clinical lectures and case presentations on optometry and contact lenses in Jena.

German and international societies need excellently trained optometrists. The conferences in Osnabrück and Jena offer the opportunity to meet this demand.

Literatur:

  1. Walter, Ulrich: Mythos „Halbwertszeit des Wissens“. In: WELT vom 07.08.2013, https://www.welt.de/wissenschaft/article160307961/Mythos-Halbwertszeit-des-Wissens.html. Referencing: 17 August 2025.
  2. Chow, N. L. Y., Tateishi, N., Goldhar, A., Zaheer, R., Redelmeier, D. A., Cheung, A. H., Schaffer, A., Sinyor, M. (2023). Does knowledge have a halflife? An observational study analyzing the use of older citations in medical and scientific publications. BMJ Open, 13, e072374.