Testimonials from course attendees
"The refraction course run by Derek at Dunstone Optometry came highly recommended to me by colleagues and I am so glad I did it! We initially met over the course of 2 zoom sessions to run over the principles of refraction and the refraction certificate exam, following which I met Derek (and his lovely wife Sally) in Hadleigh for an in-person teaching session. Derek is a fantastic teacher and proves a personalised, hands on experience in order for you to perfect your refraction technique, not only to pass the exam but I will also carry these techniques forward throughout my career” Dr A. C., April 2024
"Thank you for your help. I passed my exam, just got the result. I am so pleased. Your help really helped me with the concepts and got me through it." Dr Javeria Muid, Sept 2023
“I received my OSCE results this morning and passed! The sessions with you were truly so inspiring”, Francesca Hale, Optometrist, Feb 2023
"Thank you so much to you and Sally for having us on Saturday! Everyone really enjoyed it and we learned so much. The refraction process makes a lot more sense to us now and seems a lot less daunting!" Dr Aoife Smyth, Nov 2022
"Thank you so much for all the guidance and advice, learned so so much. Really appreciate all your teaching and the lovely lunch." Dr D. Hurley, March 2022
“I am very glad I contacted Dr Dunstone to help me prepare for stage 2 and OSCE for pre reg optometrist. I found all the session very helpful and made me understand what I needed to do in order to be better prepared for the assessments. These session were not just aimed at me passing the assessments but also on how I could be a better Optom. All the tips Dr Dunstone gave me are very useful and helpful. I would highly recommend Dr Dunstone to any pre-reg optometrist.” DQ, Trainee Optometrist, March 2022
"The course was delivered on a 1:1 basis due to COVID. I felt this approach was best suited for me and the personalised retinoscopy feedback was invaluable. I had not done much revision before the course but felt confident in my ability and my technique upon leaving. I passed first time and would recommend this course to anyone planning on sitting the exam. Derek and Sally were very welcoming and friendly, it was a delight to get to know them during the coffee and lunch breaks.” Dr Mary-Therese Monaghan, Nov 2021
"I found the course was a great opportunity to revive my retinoscopy skills in a safe and unpressured environment. The model eye was an excellent resource to practise on, and I found your encouraging and supportive tuition was targeted at exactly the right level, and the practical tips and tricks were really helpful. Thanks again for a great day." Debbie Mullinger, Lead Orthoptist Clinical Tutor, June 2021
"I have been receiving first class tuition from Derek for several years. He has helped me so much both with my practical skills but also my theoretical knowledge and confidence. As an optometrist with vast experience, not only of primary care, but of many hospital departments and academic settings, he has amassed a great wealth of knowledge and interesting patient episodes which greatly enhance his teaching sessions. To top it off he is a warm and supportive person. I would recommend Derek for students of any level, from university students struggling with practical exams to trainee ophthalmologists and pre reg optometrists." Ms FH, Trainee Optometrist, July 2021
"I wasn't sure how useful online teaching would be for refraction but Derek made the course fun and engaging. I found it really helpful and although I had been practicing for a while on my own, I still learned a huge amount. I'm definitely glad I found this course. Thanks again." Dr Scott Cutting, Nov 2020
‘I am very grateful to you for the excellent course and positive motivation that you gave me. Your training was truly excellent.’ Dr Shama Goliyadi, May 2019
"Really good course. Goes through theory and concepts of refraction. Pearls of refraction taught that you don't get in books." Dr Raza Cheema, March 2019
"Extremely informative and knowledgable. Most helpful for the novice", Dr Emma Kenefick, March 2019
“Excellent, rewarding and innovative course!”, Dr Panos Vouzounis, Nov 2018
"Excellent course which tailored my tuition to concentrate on my weaknesses, giving me a solid technique to further practce alone". Dr Liam Price, May 2018
"Excellent course to get you started for the refraction exam. Derek is a very enthusiastic teacher." Dr Kavita Aggarwal, March 2018
"Coming at this from a very limited practicing background, I found this course excellent as a means to get the basics right before starting independent practice." Dr James Brodie, March 2018
"Derek is very knowledgeable, experienced and enthusiastic. I have learned a great deal over the course of 2 days and now am confident to practise refraction in the days to come." Dr Johnson Neo, October 2017
"A comprehensive theoretical and practical review of refractive skills relevant to ophthalmologists in Practice." Dr Ghaleb Elfarouki, October 2017
"Have gone from zero knowledge to achieving a VA of 6/6 with just a ret." Dr Laura Butler, October 2017
"Very helpful course! Very useful! Excellent teacher. Very well organised!" Dr Constantinos Demosthenous, May 2017
"Enthusiastic tutor - makes a difficult subject fun to learn". Dr Mark Cachia-Markham, May 2017
"Excellent tutorial with Derek. He was very enthusiastic and provided several practical tips to refraction and the OSCE exam. An effective and enjoyable course which I highly recommend to anyone preparing for the refraction exam". Dr Sing Yue Sim, April 2017
"Derek brims with energy and is very approachable. Well organised course". Dr Nima Ghadiri, Feb 2017
"Derek is such an enthusiatic teacher and explains refraction in a very clear way. He has given me a strong foundation to build upon and I would highly recommend this course." Dr Masara Laginaf, Jan 2016
"Excellent course any budding ophthalmologist should attend. Stimulating, insightful & rewarding." Dr Michael Lai, Jan 2016
"Very pleasant course, worth the cost and travel, probably takes a lot more practice for a novice to become proficient but enough to help immensly to pass the exam." Dr Chistos Tryfonides, Jan 2016
"Great course, I learned more than I expected, in an environment filled with joy and enthusiam. Thanks Dr Dunstone." Dr Sanoor Mahmood, Jan 2016
"Great course, Derek very enthusiatic, would extremely recommend to anyone preparing for refraction exams." Dr E Agorogiannis, Oct 2015
"Loved the course and the enormous enthusiasm of Dr Dunstone - would definitely recommend". Dr S Singh deol, Oct 2015
"Well taught course of a (usually) poorly taught subject." Dr Natalee James, Oct 2015
"Enthusiastic and enjoyable to learn from such a commited tutor" Dr Laura Maubon, April 2015
" Very productive session, good systematic approach given. Fell confident to use lessons taught to refract in practice." Dr Chinedu Igwe, April 2015
"A really enjoyable refraction course with personalised hands-on teaching. Derek's enthusiatic approach helped tremendously in improving my knowledge of a tricky subject." Dr Rahul Dwivedi, Oct 2014
"I am going away with much better understanding than when I arrived, so that is success in my book." Darren McAteer, March 2014
"I thoroughly enjoyed this course. I was very impressed with the lecturers enthusiasm and insightful presentation of optics principles." Cherrie-Ann Matis, Nov 2013
"Very thorough introduction to clinical refraction - Derek's experience and enthusiasm made this an enjoyable course. I was recommended this course by a senior colleague and will recommend this to others." Jonathon Kirk, Nov 2013
"Very well organised course and excellent value for money. I would recommend it to anyone who needs a good overview of basic refraction skills." Sarah Azzopardi, Nov 2013
"Thanks for a very helpful course. Highly recommended". Miles Parnell, June 2013
"Excellent coursewhich catered well to all baseline abilities. Very non-judgemental instructor and assistant. Perfect group size. Yummy cake!". Anindita "Rimi" Choudhury, June 2013
"You are very enthusiastic about refraction and teaching and this comes accross in how you deliver your lectures. Learnt a lot and now much more confident to try and refract. Thanks!" Sejal Morjaria (Orthoptist), June 2013
"Excellent course with a very enthusiastic teacher. Thank you so much>" Adele Kincaid (Orthoptist), June 2013
"Very beneficial course. Now looking forward to refract more confidently." Nardine Menassa, March 2013
"A lot of one-on-one tuition and advice - very useful. Tailored appropriately to my level as a refracting novice." Stephen Stewart, March 2013
"I like that the course is limited to a small number of delegates which gives each individual quality time at each station". Ruth Chen, March 2013
"Excellent course, would definitely recommend Derek's enthusiatic approach to refraction!" Dr Marcus Posner Nov 2012
"Very comprehensive introduction to clinical refraction and content of refraction certificate. Excellent personalised teaching due to small size of cohort on the course." Dr Rebecca Davie, Nov 2012
"Very enjoyable and accessible.....Excellent and helpful manner, has given me the confidence and skills to be in with a good chance at passing". Dr Muhammed Memon, June 2012
"Good course to start off my understanding of refraction especially for a candidate preparing for the refraction Certificate". Dr Damien Yeo, June 2012
"I actually understood optics a lot more than I would have thought.... most enjoyable" Dr Gharda Al-Khateeb
" I knew little - I know much more! And actually may put money down for the exam this year now instead of waiting until next year! Great for increasing confidence." Dr Jocelyn Cherry
"Excellent course- really enjoyed the weekend. This is a very good introduction to practical refraction delivered by a very friendly and experienced team of opticians. I would strongly recommend this course to any trainee preparing for the RCOphth refraction Certificate." Robert Barry Sept 2011
"Excellent summary of practical refraction and optics! Very good presentation with enthusiastic and engaging manner. Another practical session would be useful to consolidate some of the princilples but otherwise great refresher for exam! Also very much enjoyed Sally's cakes!" Sarith Makuloluwe, June 2011
"An excellent introduction to refraction theory and practice, particularly for anyone who has little experience in refraction". Neda Minakaran, Feb 2011
"Excellent course, good value for money, very keen and pleasant teacher" Peter Cikatricis, Feb 2011
"Very systematic approach to learn refraction. Really helped build up my confidence for future exam as well as clinical practice." Shweta Singh, September 2010
"Comprehensive. Very useful insight, gives various pitfalls." Cindy Chia, September 2010
"Excellent course. Very informal, friendly and taught in a pleasant atmoshere that encourages interactive learning." Gustavo Fleveiredo, Sept 2010
"Very comprehensive. Fantastic preparation for exams. Learnt a lot that I never could have just by reading books. Friendly and supportive." Luke Nicholson May 2010
"I would highly recommend this course. Derek Dunstone is an extremely skilled teacher with lots of invaluable advice for those just starting to refract or for those already quite experienced". Andrea Ryan
".... thank you for the excellent tuition on your course at the beginning of January. I think that the main thing I gained from the course was the development of a reliable system for refracting, developed through all your useful tips, that would stand me in good stead for whatever was thrown at me in the exam. " Dr Oliver Comyn
"Excellent tips and practice in clinical refraction with a good overview of optics and use of instruments." Dr Arun Moreira
"Excellent introduction that I feel will serve me well as I gain clinical experience- thank you" Dr Ben Drew
"I did the course with you nine months after starting in ophthalmology and passed my part 2 at the first attempt. I had not done any refraction prior to the course and felt it was a very good introduction to both the optics of refraction and actual practical refraction. I also thoroughly enjoyed the course." Clare Kelliher MRCOphth
"Thank you for providing clarity on a potentially confusing subject. Lots of practical tips given. Well worth attending." Shivani Kasbekar
"Excellent course with fantastic refraction teaching. I feel much more confident with refraction now." Sonali Nagenoran
Atter passing refraction examination, "I couldn't have done it without your course. I have already recommended colleagues to get on your course. Keep up the excellent work!" Dr Stephanie Tiew, May 2014.