Fresh eyes on Eyecare Glasgow

Stuart and Hiten seal the deal with Perceptive Med Education’s Peter Charlesworth and Rachel Barry

iCET has announced its takeover of the annual Eyecare conference. iCET founder, dispensing optician, Stuart Wellings explains more…

In taking over the reins from Peter Charlesworth, who has run Eyecare in Glasgow for the last 10 years, iCET co-director Hiten Gorecha and I have some exciting plans to take it forwards.

There are a lot of events and exhibitions in the optical calendar, but Eyecare really stood out as the one that focuses on education primarily, rather than having a trade show with CET also available. We also found that delegates who attended Eyecare really wanted to learn and develop.

We want to offer Eyecare delegates an event that can satisfy their thirst for knowledge. With the changes that we are introducing, we hope to take what is already a fantastic show to the next level. Plans for 2021 are well underway with some exciting new features planned.

First off, Eyecare 2021 will feature a dedicated CET track for IP optometrists so they can meet those difficult core competencies that are often missing from other CET events. We also want to bring education to the whole practice – to make Eyecare a place where the entire team can learn. This is why we are introducing workshops for support staff, and some management and business modules for practice owners.

With a dedicated Careers Corner area, delegates will be able to speak to a range of education providers to see how they can take their careers forward. It would be great for us to see an optical assistant come in 2021, for example, and then return a few years later as a dispensing optician or optometrist. By bringing them into the conference, we hope to inspire them to gain a qualification and grow as professionals.

Eyecare 2021 will also see the introduction of the Eyecare Awards. They will be free to enter for any delegates attending the conference, and there will be categories for Optometrist, Dispensing Optician, Contact Lens Optician, and Practice of the Year. Delegates will also vote for Frame of the Year during the conference.

The main reason for introducing the awards is that we want to honour the hard work and expertise of all the delegates who come to Eyecare, and give them something to display in practice to show their patients how highly regarded they are in the industry. The awards evening will also be a fundraising event for our chosen charity, Vision Care for Homeless People, which will run a workshop at the conference.

To find out more about Eyecare 2021, visit www.eyecare.education or get in touch with the team by emailing info@eyecare.education

Stuart Wellings BSC Hons FBDO is a dispensing optician and founder of iCET. Hiten Gorecha Fdsc OD is a dispensing optician and director of iCET.