Press Release 
Tuesday, 30 August 2016

Meeting will tell practitioners ‘the future is in your hands'

Eye care professionals will be 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 (pictured) will be joined on stage at the Royal College of Nursing on September 19 by training expert Sarah Morgan ([pictured below)  to present ‘a vision of the future’. .

The meeting, expected to be attended by eye care practitioners from across the country, will hear views on what is needed to protect and evolve the contact lens industry in the comings years. Mr Tompkins said: “We have to be honest, if certain steps are not taken to maintain a grip on contact lens care in practice then the future could be bleak. 

“It may be tinged with threats of deregulation if skill sets are not maintained so we need to discuss a variety of strategies to attract new business.  “It’s vital that we look after our existing patients, making sure they have access to the best available technology to ensure no discomfort or vision issues to avoid them dropping out. “Cost is also important. We need to charge properly for all work carried out.  Fee structure discussions and making sure patients understand the proper care levels are important.”
 
Both presenters will draw on a wealth of experience in running a successful contact lens practice and will share their ideas to help interact with staff, patients and suppliers. The session will describe an ‘ideal’ future, and also a future where things are no longer under our control and practices lose the contact lens business they currently  have.
 
A host of technological developments already being trialled will be explored to see how they could be implemented in practices up and down the country while all those attending will have the chance to discuss the ‘golden opportunities’ lenses provide for future generations of practitioners and patients. Future and current business models will be compared to historical models to see if the past can help teach the industry the way forward.

The meeting will be held at the Royal College of Nursing in Cavendish Square, London from 7.00pm on Monday, September 19. 

Entry is free for all BCLA members. Find more information and to register here.


Notes to editors

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