Being a health professional is not easy. Initial optimism is tempered by the reality of everyday practice. You intend to ‘do no harm’ but you forget a lot of what you have learnt. You try and keep up to date but there are time pressures and the rest of life to contend with. You may work in a remote area where there are no colleagues to talk to and little access to information.

But help is at hand. In this edition of the journal the rationale for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is explained. There are articles on how to manage your own learning and illustrative case studies from practising eye care professionals. There are new ways of undergoing self-directed learning which are stimulating and fun, and there is information on where to find good resources.