The only complete OCT

Silhouette

Silhouette has enhanced its Titan Minimal Art collection with four new La Ligne styles featuring neon coloured accents inspired by current fashion shades. The lightweight titanium eyewear for women features Silhouette’s signature accent rings in graphic cat-eye shapes. The sides can be shorted and are finished with a titanium ring. Designer Roland Keplinger noted: “The accent rings of the Titan Minimal Art La Ligne have a 3D structure. They give a fresh look to the face, as a result of their shape being partially outlined with colour. With the graphic eyeliner trend, we’re once again seeing some very nice examples of how lines can set interesting accents.” The four colourways are azure turquoise, lime, orchid pink and classic black.

Hoya

In collaboration with Orbis UK, Hoya UK is aiming to raise £50,000 over the next three years to establish a new Green Vision Centre in India. The centre will provide eye health services to some 100,000 children and adults through sustainable means, via the use of solar panels, software and energy efficient appliances. Fundraising activities in 2023 will include the London Marathon, Welsh Three Peaks and inpractice contactless donation terminals.

Rebecca Cronin, Orbis UK CEO, commented: “Educations and livelihoods can be severely impacted by a lack of access to quality eyecare, and small interventions can make a large difference. Sometimes a simple pair of glasses is all it takes to help a child to see their books for school or support an adult in their work. Thanks to Hoya UK, this new vision centre will bring much needed eyecare and treatment options to the doorstep of another community.”

Aston University

Myopia experts at Aston University are working on a new project to better understand how myopia management strategies affect children. The research team has secured a £500,000 grant to determine the impact of myopia management interventions on vision and visual behaviour in children. The new grant builds upon the team’s portfolio of myopia research, where clinical studies are underway with children aged between six and 15 years. The researchers are working on slowing myopia progression in children, and the interventions under trial include low dose atropine eye drops, contact lenses and spectacle lenses.

The two-year research programme is being led by an internationally recognised team of academics from the School of Optometry, including Professor Leon Davies, Professor Nicola Logan, Dr Amy Sheppard and Professor James Wolffsohn. The research grant will also support the appointment of two clinical research optometrists. Professor Logan said: “As an advocate for evidence-based advancements, this research collaboration will further our scientific understanding of myopia progression. The work will increase our knowledge and better facilitate translation to clinical practice to manage young children more actively with myopia.” Turn to page 15 for our round-up of myopia control solutions from NEG’s preferred suppliers.

In addition to the UK activities, globally Hoya Vision Care has renewed its partnership with Orbis International for the next three years. “Improving vision over a lifetime, that is our mission at Hoya Vision Care,” said CEO Alexandre Montague. “And for that reason, we are excited to partner with Orbis, in India and beyond.”

Optical Suppliers Association

The OSA is urging all optical businesses to start on the government’s carbon reduction plan (CRP) now, with the message – Get Ahead, Be Early. The call to action comes after the OSA’s recent OSA/NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap webinar, with guest speaker Ben Calder-Travis, NHS net zero and sustainability project manager. Ben reminded delegates that all optical businesses supplying the NHS need to prepare for the introduction of accountability for net zero targets. To receive the NHS/OSA webinar, and useful CRP links, email Marianne MacRitchie at mmacritchie@osa-uk.co.uk

Get ahead for this year’s Love Your Lenses Week (4-10 September) and register for a free resource pack at www.loveyourlensesweek. com. The campaign, run by the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA), is promising to ‘put contact lenses firmly in the public eye’. The first 200 UK-based practitioners to register will receive both a printed and online resource pack, including t-shirts, pens, stickers, posters and digital assets. International practitioners can register for digital assets too.

BCLA chief executive, Luke Stevens-Burt, said: “The BCLA is passionate about the role contact lenses play in eye health and we know eyecare professionals around the world are too. The campaign raises awareness of safe contact lens wear and the benefits of wearing contact lenses, while sharing stories of the life-changing impact lenses have had on people from all walks of life. We want to inspire eyecare professionals to get talking about contact lenses and highlight the importance of high-quality aftercare for continued healthy lens wear – and sourcing their contact lenses from reputable, legal retailers.”