100% Optical announces expansive education programme

100% Optical (@100Optical) Announces Expansive Education Programme

100% Optical has announced the launch of its wide-ranging 2022 education programme, with the first phase of priority bookings for Association of Optometrists (AOP) members going live on Monday 18th October. 

Booking for sessions goes on general release a week later on Monday 25th October.

In collaboration with the AOP, the event’s longstanding education partner, 100% Optical will provide an early opportunity for practitioners to familiarise themselves with the General Optical Council’s (GOC) new CPD scheme, which launches on 1 January 2022 and once again deliver a world-class education programme. The three-day show will feature more than 130 sessions including a mix of lectures, workshops and peer discussions across 10 different education hubs.

With content commissioned to meet the needs of all practitioner types including the wider practice team, the education offering has been curated to allow attendees to fulfil the requirements of their professional development scheme. A myriad of topics and opportunities will be available, with key elements including:

• The Main Stage: Once again, the main stage will feature a host of keynote speakers, with the AOP’s clinical director, Dr Peter Hampson, and Efa Schmidt, head of clinical negligence, set to open the event on Saturday 22nd January, exploring the implications of retinal imaging and what artificial intelligence may mean for clinical decision making. For the first time, the event will deliver a live stream of international speakers, including Professor Eduardo Fernandez and Dr Fernando Albertorio who will be presenting on Sunday 23rd January and Monday 24th January, respectively

• The AOP Lounge: A series of peer discussions will take place across all three days, and will also include content from Johnson & Johnson Vision, who will provide a series of sessions tailored for key practitioner types on the Sunday (January 23rd)

• The Future Practice Hub: Building on its successful launch in 2020, the Future Practice Hub will be expanded, offering four distinct areas of education, with CPD content delivered in partnership with a range of exhibitors

• Dispensing Workshop: Will feature a range of peer discussions and workshops throughout the event, with sessions on assistive technology for patients with low vision, paediatric dispensing and digital dispensing

• The Optical Academy: Here attendees will benefit from insight on OCT interpretation, sustainability, managing dry eye and an update on keratoconus diagnosis and treatment

Additional content will explore the role of social media in practice, along with a dedicated session on the practical benefits of contact lenses, which will also explore myths around wearing them.

As well as the opportunity for personal and professional development, there will also be thousands of new products on display at 100% Optical, and advice on all aspects of running a practice will be available, looking at how businesses can prepare to take advantage of changes in an industry that is constantly evolving.

Dr Ian Beasley, AOP head of education and Optometry Today clinical editor, comments:

“After a year without a face-to-face event, it is clear from pre-event registrations that practitioners are eager to attend in January. With the introduction of the GOC’s new CPD scheme in the New Year, 100% Optical is the perfect place for registrants to get to grips with the changes and begin to meet the new requirements.” 

Visitor registration is now live for the largest optical event in the UK that will return to ExCeL London from 22nd to 24th January 2022 and will be the first major optical event since the start of the global pandemic.