PRESS RELEASE
Monday, 17 April 2023

Programme announced for 2023 BCLA Clinical Conference

An action-packed programme at this year’s BCLA Clinical Conference and Exhibition will feature world class speakers delivering the latest innovation and clinical insight alongside live demonstrations and hands-on workshops.

The line-up features keynote presentations delivered by Dr Gregory Sawyer on 'The art of contact lens comfort' and 'More advanced understanding of the tear film and how it interfaces with a contact lens' while Professor Eric Papas will present the BCLA Medal Address entitled 'How football, luck and good people saved me from the golf course'.

He said: “I’ve had a varied career path but I will talk about how I got started working with albinism, then working with industry to develop multifocal contact lenses and silicone hydrogels. I will reflect on work to understand ocular surface responses to contact lens wear and associated care solutions as well as contact lens related discomfort. I will finish up with a look at our work on MGD, dry eye and the tear film.”

Dr Sonia Trave-Huarte will present the Irving Fatt Memorial Lecture entitled “Dry Eye management & treatment studies. Bringing my research to the field” while Frank Schaeffel will deliver a keynote on 'Visual cues for emmetropization and mechanisms of myopia.’

The three-day Clinical Conference and Exhibition returns to Manchester Central on 9-11 June and is designed to showcase world class clinically relevant research while nurturing new researchers, clinicians and young academics to present at this level.

Key features of the event, which is the first face-to-face BCLA Clinical Conference to be held since 2019, include dedicated lecture tracks, workshops peer-review sessions and free sessions at the exhibitor’s product pavilion. At least 45 CPD (UK) points in a range of domains are expected to be available throughout the conference.

BCLA chief executive Luke Stevens-Burt said: “This meeting will deliver the latest innovation and clinical insight, with world class speakers on all areas of contact lenses and ocular surface health.

“It promises to be a weekend to remember, featuring a host of passionate speakers who can inspire eye care professionals to make a real difference to patients’ lives and ensure we are ‘always learning’.”

As a new initiative for 2023, the BCLA is offering attendees micro-credential certificates at the end of the conference if they have gained the necessary credits. Micro-credentials are bite-sized chunks of learning that can help you to develop knowledge and skills in a specific area and identify that an individual has focused their learning on a particular specialism. 

Micro-credential certificates are being offered at the 2023 conference in four topics; Advanced Contact Lenses, Dry Eye, Myopia Control and Ocular Health.

A series of social events to be held throughout the conference will give delegates the opportunity to network with fellow eye care professionals. An exciting addition to this year’s Conference is ‘BCLA Celebrates’ - a fun evening of entertainment incorporating the BCLA awards ceremony that will be held at Manchester’s Imperial War Museum on the Saturday night.

Alcon, CooperVision and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care are Platinum sponsors of this year’s  conference. Gold sponsors are Bausch + Lomb and Menicon.

Full programme details and booking information for the conference can be found at www.bcla.org.uk
 

Notes to editors
• For further information, or to arrange further interviews, please call Daniel Owens from Orange Juice Communications on 07909 916668 or email [email protected]