The British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) is an educational and scientific membership orgnisation.
26/09/2025
We already have 200+ people registered for our webinar taking place next week -will you be joining us?
Unlock the Power of Corneal Topography
FREE BCLA Webinar – Tuesday 30 Sept, 7:00 - 8:00pm
Join Bianca Schut for a practical, visual-packed session that will level up your contact lens fitting skills — from simple cases to irregular corneas.
• Learn to interpret topographic indices
• Improve lens selection accuracy
• Save chair time & boost patient outcomes
Whether you're just starting out or want to sharpen your topography skills, this webinar is for you.
Sponsored by Bausch + Lomb UK
Open to all - Register now – don’t miss out! https://lnkd.in/e5xdTi8b
24/09/2025
New Podcast Episode!
Arnoud Snepvangers, CEO of Eaglet Eye and winner of the BCLA Industry Award, joins Fakhruddin Barodawala and Karin Brown-Balvert FBDO CL FBCLA for a powerful conversation on the future of optometry.
Arnoud shares how this award recognises not just innovation - but real impact in the optometry community.
👁️ From next-gen contact lens tech to tools transforming clinical care, Eaglet Eye is helping clinicians deliver more personalized, effective treatment.
👁️ Recognition is just the start. Arnoud is already focused on what’s next.
🎧 Tune in to hear how innovation is reshaping eye care.
🎓 New Course Launch: BCLA Certificate in Presbyopia 👁️🗨️
Eye care professionals can now gain a comprehensive understanding of presbyopia. From diagnosis to the latest management strategies with our newly launched Certificate in Presbyopia, based on the BCLA CLEAR™ Presbyopia report series.
✔️ Evidence-based learning
✔️ CPD-accredited
✔️ Counts towards BCLA Fellowship
✔️ All resources are included in full membership
Key learning outcomes include:
• Understanding presbyopia’s global impact
• Diagnostic techniques for near vision assessment
• Spectacle vs. contact lens options
• Surgical interventions (inlays & lasers)
• Pharmacological & scleral treatment approaches
💬 “This certificate allows members to master the full presbyopia journey while improving patient care.” Brad Parkes, BCLA CEO
📚 The course includes online lectures, MCQs, and interactive workshops or peer reviews. Plus, there’s a dedicated Early Careers Course for those starting out in their optical career.
Ready to enhance your clinical confidence and expand your expertise in managing ageing vision?
Helping Presbyopic Patients Succeed with Contact Lenses
🗓 Wednesday, 15 October
🕖 7:00pm – 8:00pm
🎓 1 CPD point available
Join Dr Sarah Smith (Humphries) in an exclusive, sponsor-led webinar by Bausch + Lomb UK focused on elevating contact lens success for presbyopic patients.
What you'll learn:
✅ How to tailor support for the unique needs of presbyopes
✅ Holistic care strategies including lifestyle & psychological factors
✅ Practical tips to improve satisfaction, retention & communication
Gain real-world insights, understand the full presbyopic journey, and explore evidence-based solutions for challenges like dry eye, lens handling, and more.
Presbyopia isn’t a barrier — it’s a step forward in the contact lens journey.
Call for Papers: NCC/BCLA Collaborative Research Symposium 2026
Are you a researcher, clinician, student, or early-career academic working in contact lenses or anterior eye care? This is your chance to present your work on a global stage!
Submissions are now open for the NCC/BCLA Symposium, taking place 8–9 March 2026 in Veldhoven, The Netherlands.
Accepted papers will be published in the Contact Lens & Anterior Eye (CLAE) journal, giving your work formal citations and international visibility.
Unlock the Power of Corneal Topography
FREE BCLA Webinar – Tuesday 30 Sept, 7–8pm
Join Bianca Schut for a practical, visual-packed session that will level up your contact lens fitting skills — from simple cases to irregular corneas.
• Learn to interpret topographic indices
• Improve lens selection accuracy
• Save chair time & boost patient outcomes
Whether you're just starting out or want to sharpen your topography skills, this webinar is for you.
The BCLA CLEAR™ Presbyopia Summary has now been translated into French, Greek, Portuguese, and Polish - helping us reach even more eye care professionals around the world.
This global consensus report, published in the BCLA journal Contact Lens and Anterior Eye (CLAE) between April and July 2024, delivers evidence-based guidance on the management of presbyopia, supporting best-in-class patient care.
There is still time to register - join us for our upcoming webinar on 9 September from 7pm. Open to all!
BCLA Webinar: Diagnosing and Managing Corneal Contact Lens Complications
Join Ankur Barua, Corneal Lead at Birmingham Midland Eye Centre, for an insightful session focused on identifying and managing complications arising from all types of contact lens use.
Gain practical tips on:
- Recognising signs from history and presentation
- Assessing severity and management strategies
- When to escalate to surgical or specialist care
- Interactive polls + Q&A included!
Don't miss this opportunity to learn from real-world cases and clinical expertise. 1 CPD point available
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As a membership organisation, the BCLA provides a wide range of benefits to help members at all stages of their educational and professional career access a range of high quality resources. We provide members with a continual stream of relevant information as well as the opportunity to communicate with others involved with contact lenses, whatever their role.
The BCLA also runs a number of free and discounted events throughout the year for members and non members. The highly regarded Clinical Conference and Exhibition is now a biennial event which welcomes on average more than 1,200 UK and international delegates. We are pleased to introduce a new event for 2016; BCLA UK aimed to increase confidence amongst UK based eye care practitioners who want to improve their contact lens fitting skills and knowledge.
Our Vision
To be the leading resource gateway for the contact lens community.
Our Mission
To educate, interact and promote growth within the field of contact lenses and related areas.
History of the BCLA
The BCLA has come a long way since it was formed in 1977 by a collaboration and amalgamation of the four major bodies in the UK concerned with the then relatively specialised practice of contact lenses.
The main objectives of the BCLA at that time were to provide for the advancement of knowledge in the field of contact lens practice and encourage teaching and research in the field. The BCLA has remained steadfast in its commitment to meeting these objectives.
Our mission today is to educate, interact and promote growth within the field of contact lenses and related areas. It is also our vision to be the leading resource gateway for the contact lens community. Membership of the BCLA has grown from 656 in 1978 to 1,800 by the end of 2015.
The first-ever BCLA conference was held in Torquay in 1977 with around 150 delegates attending. Today, the Clinical Conference and Exhibition is a globally recognised event attracting more than 1,000 visitors and delegates from the UK and overseas. It is the BCLA's flagship event and we are very proud of its continuing success and development.
Read more information about the history of the BCLA in 'The British Contact Lens Association: The first 30 years' (2007) by Andrew Gasson and Tim Bowden.
