03 October 2025
Education and external affairs have formed the cornerstone of movements across the OT team over the past two months, seeing us travel across the country by train north to Birmingham, south to Bournemouth, and west to Wokingham and Guildford. We have sat side-by-side with practitioners learning about developments in glaucoma and myopia, and heard from politicians about policy and reform at party conferences. Here is a snapshot of what we have been up to in the past 60 days.
1
Seaside politics
Policy
OT’s Lucy Miller visited Bournemouth for this year’s Liberal Democrat Party Conference, where she sat in on debates and leader Q&As, and spoke with those campaigning for equality in healthcare. Read more here.
2
A blood pressure pilot
The cover story
OT’s Laurence Derbyshire and Selina Powell met remotely with optometrist, Julia Maiden, to learn about a pioneering initiative in Greater Manchester. Watch more here.
3
The Dr Lindsay Rountree episode
The OT Podcast
OT’s Dr Ian Beasley and Ceri Smith-Jaynes sat down with the University of Bradford’s Dr Lindsay Roundtree to hear about her career path in optometry, and her passion for visual fields. Listen here.
4
Education in person
Events
OT’s Selina Powell caught the train to Birmingham for this year’s Specsavers Professional Advancement Conference, where key topics discussed included myopia, glaucoma, dry eye and sustainability. Read more.
5
Headaches: simple or sinister
CPD video
OT’s Laurence Derbyshire and Ceri Smith-Jaynes met with optometrist, Lorcan Butler, to film our latest CPD video, which explores the difference between primary and secondary headaches, as well as red flag symptoms that could indicate a sinister cause and warrant an urgent referral. Watch here.
6
Stepping into the profession
Event
OT’s Kimberley Young attended the relaunch of Johnson & Johnson’s Success Through Education Programme (STEP), where she spoke to Robyn Marsden about how the offering has evolved to meet the changing requirements of optometry education. Read here.
7
MP and eye health in the community
MP visit
OT’s Kimberley Young and Laurence Derbyshire attended an AOP-hosted MP practice visit with Zoë Franklin, who learnt about the services provided by High Street optometry and how services could be expanded at Bayfields Opticians in Guildford. Watch here.
Comments (0)
You must be logged in to join the discussion. Log in