EDITOR’S COMMENT
Shout about it
As I, along with some of Optician’s staff, combed a section of Brighton beach searching out plastic and litter in the driving wind and rain the evening before the Eyes on Sustainability (EOS) conference at the i360
observation tower, something funny happened. I wouldn’t want to speak on behalf of the other people on the beach that night, but I had the distinct feeling that I was part of something bigger. The camaraderie among the 15 or so brave (and wet) litter pickers represented a significant attitudinal shift among people at the coalface of optics and high street optometry towards sustainability within the industry. A huge thank you to Waterhaul and Net Zero Optics for organising the beach clean.
The feel-good vibe was bolstered further at the conference the next morning. New company delegates and new sponsors were in attendance at Optician’s second EOS conference, but it was the increase in practitioner numbers that pleased me the most. One of the reasons why I wanted to create EOS was that nobody was speaking to people at practice level about how they could embrace sustainability in the right ways. Lots of companies were talking about it internally, but the topic hadn’t breached their echo chambers. For many companies, it still hasn’t. I’m delighted that EOS is playing a small part in changing practice attitudes.
One of the topics of conversations in the morning panel discussions was the notion of ‘greenhushing’. While greenwashing has become part of the everyday sustainability lexicon, greenhushing is perhaps a bigger challenge for the optical sector at present. For many companies or organisations, fear of being labelled as greenwashers has led to keeping quiet about their green achievements and the sustainability topic in general. Because the optical industry is, by and large, behind the sustainability curve, the danger with greenhushing is that the true potential of the industry might not be reached.
No matter how insignificant the changes your company, manufacturers or practice make may seem, EOS is the platform for you to shout about it.
CONTENTS
6 In Focus
12 Showcase
NEWS 4 7 Days News from the past week 6 In Focus Eyes on Sustainability conference
OPINION 8 View From the High Street
Message to corridors of power
PRACTICE 10 Optician Awards shor tlist
In the running for 2024 12 Showcase
The latest product news
LENSES AND DISPENSING 13 Hands-on with latest innovations in ophthalmology Optegra Eye Health Care & Zeiss symposium
Editor
15 Educational outcomes and vision impairment The impact of vision and hearing issues on children’s learning 16 Putting par tners first
The Lens Award
CLINICAL 18 CPD: Making a big difference for little eyes 2 Specialist paediatric dispensing 24 Allvar Gullstrand
A legacy of instruments and honours
CLASSIFIED 30 Ser vices 33 Recruitment
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Optician is the weekly, paid-for information source for optometrists, dispensing opticians and the optical industr y. For 133 years Optician has been the independent voice for eye care professionals, students and business owners offering breaking news, analysis and education. In print and online, Optician provides an array of clinical, business and technology ar ticles, comprehensive CPD coverage along with the ver y latest in contact lenses, frame fashion trends and spectacle lens technology. Optician offers advice on careers and carries hundreds of job oppor tunities ever y week. Optician provides its readers with essential business help and offers a forum for eye care professionals and others in the market.
11 October 2024 OPTICIAN 3
