PRESS RELEASE
Monday, September 3, 2018
Call for Papers launched ahead of flagship event

A call for papers has been issued ahead of next year’s BCLA Clinical Conference and Exhibition, with researchers and eye care professionals urged to submit their latest work.
The flagship event is returning to Manchester next year, with the city set to play host to one of the profession’s most eagerly anticipated international conferences.
Researchers are urged to plan and put the submission dates in their calendars, with the call having officially opened on September 1st. 

A pre-screening service will be available, with a deadline of November 23, 2018. The final deadline for papers to be submitted via the BCLA website is January 11, 2019.
The three-day Clinical Conference and Exhibition – due to take place from May 30 to June 1 2019, is undergoing a change in format to culminate in the grand finale of the Awards dinner on the Saturday night.

BCLA chief executive Cheryl Donnelly said: “We are thrilled to be heading back to Manchester Central for the 2019 Clinical Conference and Exhibition. It promises to be an event to remember, featuring a host of passionate speakers delivering the latest research to inspire eye care professionals to make a real difference to patients’ lives.

“The Call for Papers opened on September 1 and we look forward a host of high quality submissions as we continue to trail-blaze cutting edge contact lens and anterior eye research and its implications on evidence-based clinical practice.” added Professor James Wolffsohn, the BCLA Academic Chair.

All abstracts will be published in Contact Lens and Anterior Eye (CLAE). Submissions should be in the form of abstracts and can be a paper or electronic poster (to be allocated by the Academic Committee) with case reports also encouraged.

Abstracts must contain the following:

• A clear statement of hypothesis, an explanation of robust methods (such as cross-over and randomised trials with appropriate controls of sufficient sample size), a full report of the resulting data that unequivocally test the hypothesis and a brief discussion of their implications in the conclusion. 
• Subject matter should be topical, novel and must contain original data (including actual numbers with standard deviations and significance values where appropriate) - it is important the study is completed rather than expected findings are stated
• Abstract results must be of significant scientific value to advance the understanding or advancement of the field. Literature review abstracts or untested theories will be rejected.
• Commercial relationships must be fully disclosed. Predominantly commercial abstracts will be rejected unless they report new scientific research developments.

For more details about the British Contact Lens Association and on how to submit papers, visit www.bcla.org.uk

Notes to editors

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