News

BCLA: the Premier Clinical CL Conference
By mivision
August 1, 2008

BCLA: the Premier Clinical CL Conference

This year's Clinical Conference of the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) held in Birmingham from 29 May to 1 June, was the largest in its 32 year history with a total of 1,027 delegates registered over the four days of the conference. Fifty companies had stands in the manufacturers' exhibition, which were spread over three halls for the first time.


Organisers reported that international interest was high with just over half of those registered (55 per cent) from overseas. Delegates came from 48 different countries, the largest overseas delegations were from Denmark (85) and the U.S. (81), followed by Sweden (37) and France (35).


BCLA Speakers


British Olympian, rower Sir Steve Redgrave, who won Gold Medals at five consecutive Olympic Games, was the guest speaker at the opening ceremony. Redgrave spoke of the physical and emotional strain of maintaining his position at the top of his chosen sport, culminating in the Sydney Games in 2000.


Three years before the Sydney Olympics, Redgrave was diagnosed with diabetes and found that he was constantly running out of energy. In spite of his health problems he went on to win Gold in Sydney. Having diabetes "made me mentally tougher," he said. He now has regular eye  examinations to check for diabetic eye disease.


The Clinical Conference is now an important date on the international contact lens calendar and speakers from around the world were a prominent feature on this year's lecture programme. Principal Keynote Speaker Professor Deborah Sweeney, CEO of the Vision CRC in Sydney, told delegates: "Many of us consider the BCLA Clinical Conference to be the premier contact lens
event worldwide."


In speaking at the BCLA Euromcontact President Helmer Schweizer said that zeropowered contact lenses could be regulated as medical devices in Europe as early as 2009.

At present, the European Medical Devices Directive covers prescription spectacles and CLs, as well as CL care products, but not zeropowered CLs or sunglasses.


In the U.S., plano lenses are already regulated as medical devices but in other countries, including Australia, there is no federal regulation and the law varies from State to State.


The BCLA also hosted a roundtable discussion on the risks to patients of the general sale of CLs. Describing the U.K. law on plano lenses, optometrist Chris Kerr said that there was no legal requirement for a fitting or specification for these lenses despite guidance from the professional bodies that this was in the patient's best interest.


"We have a farcical situation in the U.K.," Kerr said. "There's no doubt in anybody's mind that an Rx is required."

Ophthalmologist Professor Roger Buckley said that a new surveillance study from Australia had shown a 4.76 times greater risk of microbial keratitis in CL wearers who bought their lenses via internet or mail order rather than from regulated sources.


BCLA New President
Sarah Janikoun, an ophthalmologist with a special interest in medical contact lens practice and low vision is the new BCLA President. Sarah has a Harley Street practice which is primarily involved in contact lens troubleshooting and she works at St Thomas' Hospital in London where her role encompasses general ophthalmology, diabetic eye care, provision of the low vision service and paediatric contact lenses. "The BCLA is an extraordinary society where so many strands of healthcare come together for the benefit of the professions and the lens-wearing community," Sarah said when asked to comment on her new role.


The 2009 BCLA Clinical Conference and Exhibition will be held in Manchester from 28 to 31 May.