15 January 2026
New for 2026, OT, in partnership with the AOP and Lloyd & Whyte, is introducing the CPD Lunch Club. We understand that time-stretched practitioners are keen to stay up-to-date with the latest clinical developments, but also recognise that it can be challenging to balance this against the backdrop of a busy clinic and competing commitments outside of work.
The CPD Lunch Club is a monthly, 30-minute session, held from 1.15pm to 1.45pm. The Lunch Club will be led by the AOP’s education team: myself, Dr Byki Huntjens, and Ceri Smith-Jaynes. These sessions offer a focused deep-dive into some of the most recent developments in optometry.
The pace of change in eye care can feel unrelenting at times. From the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency licensing the first low-dose atropine treatment for childhood myopia, through to navigating patient questions sparked by mainstream news – such as headlines around Robbie Williams’ fears that weight-loss jabs are making him blind – it’s sometimes a challenge to filter out the noise.
While traditional continuing professional development remains vital for deeper insight, there is a clear need for succinct, topical updates. The CPD Lunch Club is designed to fill that gap.
Each month, the panel will deliver bite-sized insights on trending themes, highlighting key clinical updates and debunking common myths. The session will include a dedicated Q&A, allowing delegates to engage directly with the hosts and peers. For those that are unable to attend the live session, every Lunch Club will be recorded and made available on-demand in OT’s Education library.
The first session will be held on 27 January 2026, with bookings open from 14 January. Secure your place and join us for a productive lunch break.
Further sessions will be held on 17 February and 24 March, so keep an eye on AOP communications for when registration goes live. Don’t worry if you miss a session, these sessions can be watched back on-demand.
Hear from the hosts
Dr Byki Huntjens, educational lead at the AOP, is a qualified optometrist from the Netherlands, who obtained her MSc and PhD at the University of Manchester. She taught contact lenses at City, University of London for more than a decade, and recently became an independent education and research consultant in contact lenses and dry eye. Huntjens is also an honorary senior research fellow at City University, a director of IACLE, and a BCLA council member and president.
Huntjens said: “CPD doesn’t have to be in a one-hour format; sometimes 30 minutes of the right content at the right time is exactly what we need. The CPD Lunch Club is all about making learning easy to digest, clinically relevant, and something you can actually fit into your week.
“Think of the CPD Lunch Club as your regular nudge to stay curious and engaged. It’s a quick, informal way to hear what’s new, what’s changing, and what might matter in your clinic, all without having to block out another evening or weekend.”
Dr Ian Beasley is clinical editor of OT and head of education at the AOP. He is also a visiting lecturer at Aston University, where he completed his undergraduate optometry degree, a professional doctorate, and a PhD. Beasley is also a qualified nutrition coach and is undertaking an MSc in sleep medicine at the University of Oxford.
Beasley said: “We’re always looking for ways to innovate and meet the diverse learning preferences of our members. The CPD Lunch Club is another option in our education toolkit, helping time-stretched practitioners stay at the forefront of clinical developments in a way that fits around their workload.”
Ceri Smith-Jaynes is a specialty optometrist, the clinical editor for multimedia at OT and a media spokesperson for the AOP. She works in independent practice in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire. Her special interests include prescribing for anterior eye disease, dry eye, orthokeratology, and irregular cornea contact lens fitting.
Smith-Jaynes said: “The first rule of CPD Lunch Club is: tell as many people as you like. The idea is to provide a bento box of CPD topics, involving short presentations and discussions about whatever has whet our appetites that month. We hope it will provide a convenient way of gaining CPD and ideas for participants to go and do further self-directed learning.”
Fast Forward
1 100% Optical 2026 28 February–2 March
Join the biggest event in the optical calendar for CPD, the latest products, and networking opportunities. Register at: 100percentoptical-2026.reg.buzz/ot-print
2 CPD Lunch Club 17 February
The second in the CPD Lunch Club series will be held on 17 February. Don’t forget you can watch the first session on-demand on the AOP website.
3 World Optometry Day 23 March
Celebrate the impact of the optometry sector with colleagues around the world. Get in touch with OT to share your plans and comments ahead of the day.
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The Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee, of which the AOP is a member, expressed disappointment at the “real terms cuts” on General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) fees imposed by NHS England. GOS1 fees increased 2.5% to £24.13 for the financial year 2025/26. Read more on OT.
What does the Budget mean for optometry?
The Chancellor’s Budget statement, announced in November, confirmed further investment into the NHS and neighbourhood health. The AOP urged the Government to ensure that investment for the NHS “must extend to the whole of primary care.” Discover more about the Budget here.
Optometry's role in timely care
Dr Peter Hampson, AOP clinical and policy director, was invited to give evidence at the All Party Parliamentary Group for Health’s session on primary care. Hampson outlined the role optometry can play in helping improve access to timely care. Watch Hampson's takeaways.
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