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There are hopes COVID’s ‘cancel culture’ could prompt drop in Halloween horror stories

Eye care practitioners are hopeful the cancellation of Halloween fancy dress parties due to COVID-19 could prompt a fall in ghoulish horror stories caused by novelty cosmetic contact lenses.

Gareth Hadley awarded OBE

GOC Chair, Gareth Hadley, has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of his services to the optical sector.

E-GOS rollout delayed

New online claims system – new roll outs to be paused

Optometrists advised to register for free PPE on the PPE Portal now

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) encourages and urges all Optometrists with an NHS contract to continue registering with HM Government’s PPE Portal to order COVID-19 PPE, free of charge.

ABDO calls for an end to discrimination

The Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) is calling for action to end discrimination and harassment in the optical industry in response to a survey of members.

MP opens new Optical Express Eye Clinic and Laser Treatment Centre in Dartford

Local MP Gareth Johnson has official opened a new state-of-the-art ophthalmology clinic including laser eye, Intraocular Lens (IOL) and cataract surgery has opened in Dartford

GOC suspends Bradford based optometrist

The General Optical Council (GOC), the UK regulator for optometrists and dispensing opticians, has decided to suspend an optometrist based in Bradford, from its register for three months.

BCLA teams up with Alcon for series of PPE videos

The “donning and doffing” of PPE is now part and parcel of eye care practitioners’ daily working lives and the British Contact Lens Association has teamed up with Alcon to produce a series of videos detailing handy hints for making face coverings work better for you.

SwissLens will officially acquire the complete Lunelle® product portfolio from CooperVision.

As an official partner of SwissLens, No7 Contact Lenses will become the exclusive distributor of all Lunelle® products in the UK.

Covid-19 Pandemic and it’s effects on the Pre-Reg population

We have all faced challenges throughout the global Covid pandemic, Optics has had its fair share of challenges. Call to action from Optical Community

New Principal for ABDO College announced

Dr Robert Cubbidge will take over as principal of ABDO College from July 2021.

Sight Loss Needn't Mean Job Loss - Free 1 Hour Webinar Oct 29th at 4pm

Every 6 minutes, someone in the UK starts to lose their sight.

2020 Bursary Scheme goes live provided by the Spectacle Maker's Charity

The Spectacle Makers’ Charity has launched its 2020 bursary scheme for first-year optical students.

New fund to support health and social care teams with implementing innovations and improvements in the West Midlands

The West Midlands Academic Health Science Network (WMAHSN) has launched the Safety Innovation & Improvement Fund, giving individuals and teams working in health and social care the chance to apply for funding of up to £10,000

Specsavers brings a smile to the nation with new adverts

On October 12th Specsavers launched a new campaign that celebrates the positivity and joy that a smile can bring, even in these challenging times

OptiCommerce, launches BYTESIZE, a webinar series with a difference.

BYTESIZE is a guided series of 6 digestible webinars (only 25 mins each!) for optometry professionals designed to provide 6 achievable actions to help build a better online presence.

Global audience expected for live-streamed BCLA UK

This year’s BCLA UK Conference & Exhibition promises to be something truly unique, with the virtual event now being live-streamed for eye care practitioners around the world.

OFNC Update:COVID-19 FUNDING for Optical Practices in England

The OFNC's last update on COVID-19 payments for GOS providers in England was on 4 September, confirming that average GOS support would remain in place until the end of August.

RNIB Scotland releases a "Vision for the Future" a 2021 Scottish Parliament Election manifesto

National sight loss charity RNIB Scotland is calling on all political parties to build on the greater social cohesiveness that the coronavirus crisis has engendered.

ABDO College is supporting the development of dispensing across the world

As it welcomes 10 students from South Africa onto the ophthalmic dispensing course......

GOS Scotland Announcement on GOS Scotland procedures

The Directorate of Primary Care has re-confirmed that GOS(S)1 ‘cheque book’ slips do not need to be completed while the current suspension of patient and patient representative signatures remains in effect 

Haag-Streit UK Announces Launch of the MR Q and MR Q Supine Laser Systems in the UK

The MR Q is a fully-integrated YAG laser, which features the latest technology for posterior capsulotomy, pupillary membranectomy, and iridotomy.

Amended 7 Day rolling infection Rate after Government Admission of error October 5th

Government identifies some form of IT glitch that underestimated the number of positive cases from 26th September onward on October 4th. We have made the following adjustments and show the rectified graph and workings here

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