Presentations made by Paul McCarthy and Andrew Cripps from our Department of Vision and Hearing Sciences have been well received at the annual Specsavers Professional Advancement Conference held in Birmingham on Sunday 17 October.

Paul, who is a Senior Lecturer and Pathway Leader for our Ophthalmic Dispensing Assistants course made a one-hour presentation on visualising the finished look of a pair of glasses, which involved considering the most and least suitable frame size and shape for any prescription. Paul also discussed the latest Lens surfacing and manufacturing technologies.

Andrew, who is also a Senior Lecturer, gave a brief talk on our Foundation Degree in Ophthalmic Dispensing, for which he is Pathway Leader, and also a continuing education lecture on various eye conditions and whether or not they require referral to an Optometrist, GP or Hospital.

The Professional Advancement Conference attracts over a thousand delegates and is the largest one-day optometric conference in Europe, representing a key event for Optometrists, trainee and registered Dispensing Opticians and contact lens companies in the UK. The conference places an emphasis on continuing professional education, and this year hosted over 25 sessions presented by experts from the worlds of optometric and dispensing practice, ophthalmology, research, education and the optical bodies.