Optoversity competitors raise over £3000 for VCHP

Optometry undergraduates from five universities who came together to compete in this year’s Optoversity Challenge have raised over £3400 for Vision Care for Homeless People (VCHP).

Final year students from Anglia Ruskin University, the University of Bradford, Plymouth University, City, University of London and the Dublin Institute of Technology attended the event, which was hosted at Anglia Ruskin University on 23 March.

Now in its third year, the Optoversity Challenge is organised by Out of the Box Optics and aims to offer students a "fun and effective way" of preparing for the pre-reg year, while networking with their peers.

The day featured various challenges, including two rounds of preparatory objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) stations. Optometrists from a range of backgrounds were also on-hand to share insight into their careers, including Gajan Singh who works for VCHP, and associate lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University, Karmelo Modina.

Mr Singh and Mr Mondia co-founded Out of the Box Optics and then the Optoversity Challenge in 2016.

Following an interactive game of optometry-themed Articulate, undergraduates from Anglia Ruskin University were crowned the overall winners of the day. The team included Sohajdeep Sidhu, Marta Bahriy, Caitlin Walsh and Helen Croxall, who each took home an Amazon Echo and Fire TV Stick that were donated by Essilor UK.

Plymouth University’s Hannah Thomas was named as the highest performing student overall and received an Instant Polaroid Camera and a place on Out of the Box Optics’ pre-reg OSCE masterclass course.