On stage at 100% Optical:Peer review: The lifestyle choice

Could you give us an insight into the topic your session will cover?

This session will help practitioners to explore how changing patient behaviour and lifestyle choices may influence ocular surface health and overall contact lens wearing experience. The recently published Tear Film & Ocular Surface (TFOS) Lifestyle Workshop Report shared findings on how various lifestyle factors such as cosmetics, nutrition and environments may be directly or indirectly challenging ocular surface health. Inspired by the findings of this report, the session will cover ways that practitioners can identify and inform contact lens wearers about lifestyle behaviours to maintain good ocular surface health, therefore maximising their contact lens wearing experience.  

What are some of the key messages you wish to highlight?

As patients’ lifestyles and ocular health evolves, so too does tear film and ocular surface research, and so the session also aims to highlight how practitioners can use research and clinical publications to enhance patient care. The session is also about appreciating that patients’ specific needs and expectations of contact lens wear can evolve over time, and discusses how best to communicate with patients about their evolving eye health requirements in a way they can understand.

Who is this topic for? Who might benefit the most from joining?

The session is suitable for any practitioner wishing to maximise their patients’ contact lens wearing experience. Practitioners will have an opportunity to have peer-to-peer discussions on a series of fictional patient case studies, each with different lifestyle and ocular surface findings. Regardless of experience, we hope that the session will support eye care professionals to feel confident in identifying and providing contact lens wearers with practical advice and recommendations that consider both their patient history and the unique needs or demands of their lifestyle.

What do you hope the top takeaway will be for attendees?

I hope delegates will feel encouraged to think outside the box and really consider how patients’ lifestyles may be impacting their ocular surface health, and to understand the level of impact on their contact lens wearing experience. Armed with the knowledge of current clinical research and evolving soft contact lens material options, I hope that eye care professionals can feel confident in ensuring the patient has all the available options explained to them, whether this be lifestyle advice or an alternative contact lens material.

I want to remind delegates that Johnson & Johnson MedTech provides support to eye care professionals with an array of online educational and CPD resources to assist with contact lens knowledge, patient fittings, communication and much more. This session is also worth three CPD points.

2024 marks 10 years of 100% Optical. How do you feel about being part of a milestone year for the optical show?

It’s a privilege to attend and speak at the show, and especially in this milestone year. I’m really looking forward to meeting with so many fellow practitioners over the weekend.

Read more of OT’s coverage ahead of 100% Optical here. 

Register for the show and book your education sessions online. Due to popular demand, as the event approaches, readers are encouraged to review and cancel any education sessions that no longer fit in with their plans for the show, in order to release capacity for others to attend. Space is reserved in the programme for walk-ins, allocated on a first-come first-served basis.