100% Optical education rolls out

Details of the education programme have been released in batches throughout the last few months, with well over 100 hours of CPD sessions scheduled across the hubs of the show.

AOP members receive a priority booking slot for the education programme on January 3 2024, with ABDO priority booking between January 11–12 and all sessions opening to delegates on January 12.

This booking process was rolled out for the first time at the 2023 show and enables delegates to book onto the education programme in advance of the event, while also ensuring a proportion of seats in the sessions are available for attendees at the show on a first-come, first-served basis.

The content at the show has been curated to meet the needs of all practitioner types, and to fulfil the requirements of the continuing professional development scheme.

Dr Ian Beasley, head of education for the AOP and OT clinical editor, shared that myopia, collaborative working, and artificial intelligence, have emerged as key themes in the education planned for the 2024 show.

“The delivery of the contemporary programme of education at 100% Optical keeps pace with the needs of practitioners in the face of changing technology and regulations,” he told OT.

2024 marks the last year of this CPD cycle, and 100% Optical offers an avenue to attend peer reviews, develop knowledge in key areas, and tick off those final domains.

Beasley recommended delegates take the time to review the personal development plan they set out at the beginning of the cycle, “to ensure they are on track, to see whether it needs to be more nuanced, or if they have since identified any additional topics to focus on,” and make the most of the sessions on offer at the show.

“100% Optical also provides delegates with an opportunity to make the connections they might need for the reflective exercise, which registrants will need to complete in the latter half of 2024,” he added.

Key topics

On the Main Stage, the AOP will be delivering a session exploring common reasons for clinical negligence claims in The Wheel of Misfortune, and Mario Giardini, from the University of Strathclyde, will explore the impact of digital technologies in task shifting ophthalmology from secondary care to the community. Tim Cole from Heidelberg Engineering UK will discuss AI in Do androids dream of electric eyes?

‘Myopia’ will be the name of the game on the second day of the show, with two sessions dedicated to myopia management taking over the main stage, while glaucoma is also a key topic, appearing multiple times across the agenda.

The Future Practice Hubs will be sponsored by SpaMedica and Newmedica, with four rooms covering skills and learning in the areas of consulting, diagnostics, dispensing, and industry hot topics.

The Optical Academy will be sponsored by Sense Medical | Canon, with sessions including independent prescribing, referral decision-making, and sight and homelessness.

A hub of peer-learning, the Dispensing Workshop will host peer reviews and discussion workshops on topics including myopia management, assistive technology for people with low vision, and supporting patients with additional needs.

More than 250 companies and 1000 brands will showcase their products and services at the 10^th edition of the show from 24–26 February.

For the first time, 100% Ophthalmology will run alongside the show as a co-located event, sponsored by Birmingham Optical, Zeiss and Haag-Streit UK.

What to expect in eyewear and lenses

Caledonian Optical will be showcasing its new laboratory through the magic of virtual reality technology at 100% Optical.

The manufacturer moved into the new site, located near Aberdeen International Airport, earlier this year, with the company sharing: “Following an investment of £1.5 million into a new laboratory, we’ve tripled our current capacity, allowing us to increase the volume of high-tech lenses being manufactured.”

EssilorLuxottica is welcoming delegates to its stand, where its primary focus will be instruments.

During the event, eye care professionals will be able to learn about new launches for 2024, including the ES edger range, innovations such as the VS and VR optometry range, as well as new equipment from distribution partners including ESW, SB Sistemi, Medmont and Takagi.

Paul Cumber, Essilor instruments director, said: “It’s an exciting time for instruments and the team will be on hand to discuss what benefits the new kit can bring to an optical practice.”

Mokki Eyewear, which was new to the show in 2023, makes a return, bringing its modular Mokki Click & Change set for children’s sunglasses.

The set includes a PC polarised lens, and a patented BlueBlocked lens. Both are UV400, scratch resistant, shatter-proof and optical grade polycarbonate lenses.

The kit comes with side shields, a pair of bendable sides, a headband, neck strap, and microfibre ‘animal friend,’ which the brand suggests “will encourage the child to care for their own glasses.”

MAC Eyewear will increase its floor space at 100% Optical by 25%, with more space to showcase its collections of Specs By Prue, J F Rey, and Struktur. Also featuring will be Coco Song, CCS, Ronit Furst, Francois Pinton, and bespoke iGreen and O-Six.

“We are very excited for you to meet our new sales team members as we have recruited some amazing and very experienced staff in 2023,” Sara Walker of MAC Eyewear said. “We hope that this will mean that we can be much more supportive to our network of customers, both here in the UK, Ireland and internationally.

“The overriding theme for 2024 is that bold really is beautiful,” Walker added, suggesting that Maison J F Rey, Struktur and Ronit Furst will be leading the way.

“We will also be unveiling additions to our bespoke O-Six collection, which is bold acetate, but where the patient can choose their shape, colour and size, whilst achieving the bold look for 2024,” she said.

Eyespace will join the show with frames from across its brands.

This includes a newly introduced high fashion edit within the Cocoa Mint collection: Cocoa Mint Studio. The range includes oversized silhouettes with unique lamination techniques, exaggerated shapes and sculpted sides. The models all come with biodegradable lenses as standard.