British Contact Lens Association

27 April 2011

Industry support of the annual British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) Clinical Conference and Exhibition will be heightened this year with the introduction of a new Exhibitors’ Pavilion.

BCLA 2011 takes place from 26-29 May at Manchester Central Convention Complex and the accompanying free trade exhibition runs from the Friday to Sunday. For the first time, exhibitors and sponsors will run half-hour product and education sessions in a pavilion situated within the main Central Hall of the venue.

Company supported sessions will include: patient education and marketing tools by Dr Trusit Dave (Optimed); Duette: perfection in harmony by Caroline Burnett Hodd (No 7 Contact Lenses); ultra widefield retinal imaging by Mark Braddon (Optos); eye drops in Comod by John Freyne (Scope Healthcare); the upgrade opportunity by Dr Caroline Christie (Sauflon); KeraSoft IC – uniquely MoRoCCo by Lynn White (UltraVision); Tri Comfort: try it yourself by Dr Christine Purslow (CIBA Vision); and tear film osmolarity by Professor Giancarlo Montani (Abbott Medical Optics).

The presentations will begin at 10.30am each day, with sessions repeated to ensure that delegates attending parallel lectures and workshops don’t miss out. Details of all the sessions and timings will be contained in the exhibition handbook, included as part of delegates’ registration package.

Following its successful introduction last year, the sponsorship category of Sponsor New Delegates has been expanded for 2011. Supporting the introduction of 150 new delegates to the conference this year are CIBA Vision and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care (Patrons), Alcon and CooperVision (Platinum), and Bausch + Lomb and Topcon (Gold). A New Delegates Breakfast will take place on the Sunday morning, hosted by BCLA President, Shelly Bansal – another new feature for BCLA 2011.

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care will host this year’s Patron’s Party on the Friday evening, with guest motivational speaker Frank Dick, and all sponsors, including Gold Sponsor AMO, will deliver presentations within the conference programme. Optometry Today is also a Gold Sponsor. Premium Exhibitors Medeuronet, Menicon, Sauflon, Spectrum Théa and UltraVision will deliver 15-minute presentations on the Saturday afternoon.

Nikon Optical will once again be supporting the photographic competition, while Elsevier Science will provide prizes for the poster competition. Poster sessions will be held in the exhibition area, where all lunches and refreshments will be served.

Commenting on this year’s industry involvement, BCLA President Shelly Bansal said: “As contact lens practitioners, we rely on the support of contact lens companies to not just provide innovative products – but to provide us with the know-how and education to deliver those products in practice. With this, we are better equipped to confidently recommend the latest innovations to manage all of our contact lens patients. We are honoured to have the continued support of all of our exhibitors, patrons and sponsors.”

Click here for full list of exhibitors and contact details. Remember – BCLA members save £105 on a full delegate package.