In Other News

College of Optometrists celebrates new and distinguished practitioners. The College of Optometrists welcomed over 500 new optometrists to the profession at the 2024 Diploma Ceremonies this month. The College also awarded seven new Life Fellowships and two new Honorary Fellowships, and recognized outstanding contributions to furthering excellence in the practice of optometry. Among the honorees, Shehzad Naroo (pictured above), Professor of Optometry at Aston University, was awarded the Neil Charman Medal for Research. Naroo and his team have shown how the brain responds to different contact lenses for presbyopia. Link

University of Highlands and Islands optometry degree approved. The University of Highlands and Islands (UHI) BSc (Hons) Optometry qualification has been fully approved under the General Optical Council’s Accreditation and Quality Assurance Handbook. Students who complete this qualification can go on to undertake salaried pre-registration training with a practice before applying for registration with the GOC. UHI will now work to adapt this qualification to meet the updated education and training requirements (ETR), which came into effect in 2021. Link

Optegra appoints first NHS Commissioning Director. Eye hospital group Optegra has appointed Melanie Andrew as NHS Commissioning Director. Andrew has almost 25 years’ experience working across both the independent sector and the NHS in a variety of roles. She is tasked with increasing the eye hospital group’s partnership with NHS Trusts around the UK. Optegra provides NHS cataract care as well as age-related macular disease (AMD) treatments and will soon launch NHS glaucoma support. Link

ABDO accolades. The Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) has presented Peter Black and Julie Lees with Life Membership. The honours were handed out earlier this month by ABDO President Kevin Gutsell, who also awarded Elizabeth (Lizzie) Bartlam the ABDO Medal of Excellence. Link