19 August 2025
A Cardiff University student has been named a winner of CooperVision’s annual OptiStudent competition in the final of the UK and Ireland awards.
The competition sees optometry students from across Europe present research projects on topics related to contact lenses or the anterior eye.
Cherilyn Tan, third-year optometry student at Cardiff University, won the UK and Ireland OptiStudent Awards with her project on different contact lens handling methods for minimising lens contamination.
Tan’s project investigated the effects of handling methods for minimising contamination of the inner contact lens surface area, in order to reduce adverse ocular signs and symptoms, with the potential to address contact lens discomfort experienced by some wearers.
As a contact lens wearer herself, Tan said: “I have experienced firsthand the difference they can make, and I hope my findings can help fellow contact lens wearers have the same positive experience with their contact lenses. These accomplishments would definitely motivate me to work harder in the future.”
Tan explained that her supervisor, Dr Louise Terry, research fellow, lecturer, and optometrist at Cardiff University, encouraged her to participate in the competition.
Commenting on the award, Tan said: “I feel incredibly thankful to be the winner of this competition, which wouldn’t have been possible without all the help I received from Dr Louise Terry and my other supervisors, as well as the participants who were involved in my research project.”
Tan will now attend the European final of the OptiStudent competition, which will take place in October at CooperVision’s Centre of Innovation in Hungary.
Optometrist and lecturer, Terry, said of the challenge: “This competition is a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase the hard work they’ve put into their research projects, and to get a flavour of what a career in research is like. It was a privilege to supervise Cherilyn, and we all wish her the best of luck in the EMEA final.”
Neil Harvey, professional services consultant at CooperVision, hosted the UK and Ireland round of the awards.
He commented: “It’s fantastic to hear the enthusiasm from these future eye care professionals and how they may view their projects as contributing to future research, as well as how it might be useful in clinical practice. Our congratulations go to Cherilyn, and we look forward to seeing her present at the European final later this year.”
Comments (0)
You must be logged in to join the discussion. Log in