EDITOR’S COMMENT

You’re in for a surprise at the Optician Awards

There’s a frisson of excitement fizzing around UK optics at the moment and it’s because we finally know who is on the shortlist for the 2024 Optician Awards.

If this is the point at which you think: ‘I

didn’t enter the Awards so I’ll stop reading’, think again. The Optician Awards isn’t just for those on the shortlist. It’s an opportunity for anyone in optics to join comrades and competitors in a party dedicated to excellence in optics and the promotion of ideas that drive the sector forward.

I challenge anyone who has been to the Optician Awards ceremony to tell me it wasn’t one of the most professional events they had ever been to. Moreover, I would challenge any first-time Awards-goers to tell me that they weren’t surprised. Surprised that rather than attending a dry, handing-out-awards-to-the-usual-suspects, they found themselves at a party dedicated to all that is good in optics. Sure, there are some great practices out there you know about; and you’ll watch them winning, but you will also discover hidden gems in the optical geology.

I contend that attending the Awards presentation is a way of supercharging the excitement of your team about optics and drinking in the passion exuded by our finalists. It also confirms that growth and greatness in optics is driven by practices and practitioners and not handed down by the associations or government.

On the evening of November 22 at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane in London, around 500 of the optical community’s great and good will gather to see which of our finalists walk away with one of our iconic trophies. Those shortlisted for the 18 categories can be seen at opticianawards.co.uk along with details of how to attend this glittering black tie event.

You don’t have to be on a shortlist to attend so why not book your place at the optical party of the year. Perhaps next year you may even enter and be one of those changing the face of the profession.

Editor-in-chief

CONTENTS

15 Optician Awards

12 Showcase

NEWS 4 7 Days News from the past week 6 In Focus Breaking down barriers to healthcare

OPINION 8 Viewpoint

Unlocking potential 10 Viewpoint

People, par tners, planet

PRACTICE 12 Showcase

The latest product news 13 Informed

Updates from inside the industr y 15 Optician Awards

Multiple Practice of the Year Award

CLINICAL DRY EYE 17 CPD: Optometric practice

The role of topical dr y eye products 27 CPD: Nocturnal dr y eye disease

Describing the case of nocturnal dr y eye 36 Digital device dr yness

The latest studies into the effects of digital devices on eye health 39 The potential of amniotic membrane in eye care Research being carried out in the use of amniotic membranes

CLASSIFIED 42 Ser vices 45 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.

25 October 2024 OPTICIAN 3