PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, September 21, 2016

 

BCLA meeting tells practitioners ‘the future is in your hands’

Eye care professionals were given a glimpse into what lies ahead in the world of optometry and contact lenses and told ‘The Future is in Your Hands’ at a meeting in London.

President of the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA), Brian Tompkins was joined on stage at the Royal College of Nursing on September 19 by training expert Sarah Morgan to present ‘a vision of the future’.

The meeting, attended by dozens of eye care practitioners from across the country, saw leading industry figures outline their views on what is needed to protect and evolve the contact lens industry in years to come.

Mr Tompkins said: “If we’re not careful, contact lenses will become a commodity sold in vending machines at the side of the street. We need to protect our position of professionalism and authority on lenses.

“It’s vital we retain current patients and attract new ones by ensuring they have the chance to access the latest technology.

“Eye care professionals need to stay ahead of the game in terms of education, and the BCLA has a huge role to play in that. We need to true to ourselves and offer an individual service to all our patients. We also need to charge properly without denigrating the profession.”
 
Both presenters drew on a wealth of experience in running a successful contact lens practice and shared their ideas to help interact with staff, patients and suppliers.

The session, held at the Royal College of Nursing in Cavendish Square, London, outlined an ‘ideal’ future with fully-engaged and informed repeat patients, but also warned of a future where practices lose the contact lens business they currently have as patients switch to a ‘one size fits all’ QVC-style buying pattern.
 
A host of advances already being pioneered by tech giants such as Apple and Google were explored to see how they could be implemented in practices up and down the country while all those attending heard of the ‘golden opportunities’ lenses provide for future generations of practitioners and patients.

For more information on future BCLA events, including the forthcoming Visionaries conference in November, visit www.bcla.org.uk

Notes to editors

• For interviews, call Daniel Owens from Orange Juice Communications on 07909 916668 or email [email protected]