The British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) is seeking submissions for workshops and clinical spotlights to be presented at its 2014 Clinical Conference and Exhibition, from 6-9 June at the ICC Birmingham, UK.
The facilities for online submissions are now open, and submissions are due by Friday 20 September 2013.
BCLA Conference Programme Coordinator, Nick Rumney, said: “The BCLA stands for clinical leadership in contact lens and anterior eye and we aim to present everything conference attendees need to develop their knowledge and skills base – from cutting edge research and product launches to enhancing basic skills that have gone a bit rusty.
“Presenters are the lifeblood of the BCLA conference and year on year, the standards for workshops and clinical spotlights increase,” continued Nick. “We would like to see more multidisciplinary presentations in 2014 – optometrist and contact lens optician, optometrist and ophthalmologist. Remember – even if you haven’t done it before, if you think you have something interesting to impart, or a skill you would like to share, you’re good enough to submit a proposal. Talk to us – we’ll be interested.”
Clinical workshops, nowadays approved for up to three contact lens CET points, allow delegates to gain new practical skills in small groups under expert guidance. For 2014, the BCLA is looking to increase their availability and presenters will be rewarded the more times their workshop is filled and repeated. Presenters of accepted workshops will be required to submit additional CET information and full abstracts shortly after being notified of an acceptance, and should anticipate running their workshop twice.
Any workshop topic related to contact lenses and/or the anterior eye will be considered, and presenters will receive a £100 discount towards the cost of attending the conference for each workshop session presented, including repeats.
Proposals should be submitted online by Friday 20 September 2013. Presenters of accepted workshops can submit a 1,000-word handout for their workshop by 1 April 2014.
Groups or individuals are welcome to submit proposals for a two-hour clinical spotlight session on any topic relating to contact lenses and/or the anterior eye. Proposals should comprise one-and-a-half hours of CET presentations, followed by a 30-minute Q&A period. The deadline for submissions is also Friday 20 September 2013. Successful applicants will receive a £100 discount for each speaker, which can be used towards their 2014 delegate fee.
Sessions relating to the following will be of particular interest:
- ‘RGP above core competence’ (suitable for newly qualified practitioners)
- ‘Presbyopia in practice’
- ‘Co-management in refractive surgery, Lasik and CLE’
- ‘Integrating the optometrist and contact lens optician roles’
