In Other News

National Eye Health Week (NEHW).  “The biggest and most effective independent public eye health campaign in the UK,” NEHW takes off later this month (September 23–29) to provide “a unique platform to put eye care at the heart of the NHS’ prevention program, ensuring early detection of disease and encouraging individuals to make healthier lifestyle choices.” You can find a whole host of exciting NEHW resources at visionmatters.org.uk – including an Eye Health Calculator, a Sight Loss Simulator, videos, news, and further details about how to get your practice and patients involved.

ABDO contact lens training first under new GOC standards. The Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) will be the first to deliver a contact lens qualification under the General Optical Council’s new education and training requirements, the Council states. Starting in September 2024, students are now able to study at ABDO College or Bradford College towards a Level 6 Diploma in Contact Lens Practice qualification. Link

Fight for Sight’s new vision. Fight for Sight has relaunched with a new logo and a “new vision.” The five-year strategy will see almost £30m distributed across scientific research and social change, and the new logo conveys the vision, “Save Sight. Change Lives.” Link

BCLA Fellowship submissions open for 2025. Invitations are open to join a select group of more than 220 leading eye care professionals across the globe by applying to become a BCLA Fellow. The BCLA Fellowship scheme recognizes a member’s esteem in the field of contact lenses and the anterior eye. Link

Collaborative Eye Care Award. The New Optometrist is seeking entries for this year’s Collaborative Eye Care Award (CECA). CECA recognizes and rewards projects that are closing the gap between optometry and ophthalmology to drive real change in the eye care space. Are you or your colleagues involved in a project that is similarly looking to find new ways of sharing data and information? Perhaps you are aiming to improve patient outcomes in primary care, establish a new reimbursement model, or help change the professional mindset and bring optometrists and ophthalmologists closer together. For more information and to nominate a project, click here. Deadline for entries is September 30, 2024.