Cheryl Hill (FBDO SMC(Tech), CertEd) qualified from ABDO College and registered as a Dispensing Optician in 2006. Cheryl has worked in both independent and multiple optical practices at management level. She initially lectured in Ophthalmic Dispensing at Bradford College before moving to lecture in Ophthalmic Lenses and Dispensing at The University of Bradford, School of Optometry and Vision science.Cheryl also works part-time for ABDO as CPD Learning Manager. She is a member of the Advisory Panel for All About Vision UK and a UK and Overseas Practical and Theory Examiner for ABDO. Cheryl is both an experienced peer review author as well as a presenter and facilitator of CPD, for both Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians.

Neil Harvey (FBDO CL FBCLA) qualified as a Dispensing Optician in 1985 and started working with contact lenses in his pre-registration year, beginning the ABDO contact lens course. He started educational presenting in 1988 whilst working for an independent group of practices. Neil has managed independent and multiple opticians at both practice and regional levels as well as having gained qualifications in sports psychology, helping to encourage and challenge thinking and change in behaviours. Neil worked in sales with Bausch & Lomb in the late 1980s and in Professional Affairs with Ciba Vision and then Alcon from 2011 to 2021. Most recently Neil received the BCLA Certificate in Dry Eye Management and Contact Lens Retention, a certificate in The Principles of Myopia Management, and BCLA Fellowship status (FBCLA). He works as Professional Affairs Consultant at CooperVision.

Jim is a very experienced CLO, having worked in the industry for his entire working life. Jim started out as a Trainee DO with D&A before leaving to set up his own JV stores. More recently he was a valued member of the Alcon Professional Affairs team and in 2021 he joined Mark'Ennovy as Professional Affairs Manager for the UK & Ireland.He has a keen interest in Dry Eye Disease and is always looking to improve his knowledge and skill set in everything contact lens related. In June of 2025, he was elected as a fellow of the British Contact Lens Association.

Sofia is the Professional Services Manager at HOYA and a seasoned optometrist with over 25 years of experience in the eyecare sector. Throughout her career, she has been dedicated to training eyecare professionals and teams, leveraging her diverse experiences to foster professional growth. As a Non-Executive Director on the LOCSU Board and a former Chair of the Wolverhampton LOC, Sofia has played a vital role in shaping community eyecare. She has also contributed to the TEAB course as a Subject Matter Expert for the past three years, and now currently supports OSA as an active member. With extensive experience in creating and delivering Continuing Professional Development (CPD), Sofia has presented at local, national, and international conferences through lectures, written content, peer discussions, and interactive workshops. Her passion for educating eyecare professionals drives her commitment to excellence in professional development.

Gaynor started working in High Street opticians in 1996 and qualified as a Dispensing Optician through Anglia Polytechnic University in 2001. In 2007 Gaynor started working for the Sight Loss Support Service at Focus Birmingham, a charity for the visually impaired, based in Birmingham. It was here that she qualified as a Low Vision Dispensing Optician in 2010. Gaynor was also an examiner for the ABDO Dispensing and Low Vision qualifications both here and overseas. She was previously the assistant principal examiner for The Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers. She is also a Liveryman with the company. Gaynor has also presented, facilitated and written CPD for ABDO.

Mandy is an Optometrist in an independent practice setting and manages patients presenting with a range of anterior eye problems. She has been a member of the Education Faculty at the Johnson & Johnson Institute and an accredited peer discussion facilitator for the College of Optometrists. Her special interests in eyecare include dry eye, contact lenses and communication skills. She is especially interested in tear film and its implications to contact lens wear. In addition to running her own dry eye clinic, she has developed and presented educational material on both the tear film and dry eye disease for a range of HCPs.

Monica graduated from Anglia Ruskin University in 2013 and qualified as an optometrist in 2014. Throughout her career she has worked in a variety of optical settings including multiples and independents. For over five years she worked as a clinical supervisor at Aston University supporting students throughout their undergraduate programme. More recently she went on to work for Alcon as a business development manager supporting staff and clinicians in developing their skills to manage contact lens patients effectively. She is currently working as the professional educational and development manager at Alcon.

Max Halford (FBDO CL) is a qualified dispensing optician and contact lens optician who has worked in practice for over 30 years. He is the Clinical and Policy Director for ABDO and the Clinical Governance and Performance Lead for a large primary eyecare company, with responsibility for the delivery of training, accreditation and auditing of minor eye conditions, cataract and glaucoma services. He has written training and accreditation modules for Enhanced Services and is a lead assessor for the Wales Optometry Postgraduate Education Centre (WOPEC). Max is an experienced presenter and facilitator of CPD.

Daryl Newsome is a qualified contact lens optician and partner in three independent practices. He is a past president of ABDO, a Trustee of ABDO College, an ABDO Practical examiner, WOPEC assessor and pre-exam tutor in the UK and internationally. Daryl is one of the inaugural members of ABDO National Clinical Committee and one of the first Dispensing Opticians to be WOPEC qualified and commissioned to deliver MECS through CCG funding. He is an experienced author and facilitator of CET in the UK.

He has expertise in managing all types of glaucoma and anterior segment problems including complex cataract and all aspects of general ophthalmology. He runs a specialist glaucoma service for North West and beyond and his areas of interest include the surgical management of glaucoma including trabeculectomy, aqueous shunt devices, minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) and glaucoma laser procedures. He performs micro-incision cataract surgery, premium lens implantation and the latest combined cataract and glaucoma stent surgery.

Purvi is a specialist optometrist who, since qualifying in 2004, has gained vast experience in different sectors within Optometry. For seven years she worked and managed a high street practice before moving into the hospital industry and has worked with OCL Vision since 2014 as their Lead Optometrist. She has specific training and expertise in working with patients who require vision correction, such as laser eye surgery or refractive lens exchange surgery and gained her independent prescribing qualification in 2020. She has a keen interest in ocular surface disease and has set up a successful dry eye clinic at her current place of work where she specialises in patient education as well as offering treatments for mild to severe dry eye. She also works in the contact lens department at the Luton and Dunstable NHS hospital fitting specialist contact lenses. CPD author & presenter: Ros Mussa FBDO CL. Ros Mussa is a highly skilled professional with over 30 years� experience in the industry. In practice she works as a CLO with a special interest in Dry Eye Disease management. As a long-standing advocate for peer-to-peer learning and professional development she combines working in practice with a variety of advisory, educational, and professional services roles. To really highlight the interest and enthusiasm for Dry Eye Disease management she currently works with The Body Doctor as their Learning and Development manager enhancing their CPD offering.

Holding the qualification of a dispensing optician for eight years, Ashley has focused her career on nurturing the next generation of professionals as a lecturer in Applied Science at City and Islington College for six years. She has a strong passion for everything related to optics and is eager to discover and share innovations within the field. Over the last few years, Ashley’s fascination has expanded towards the rapidly evolving realm of artificial intelligence (AI).Integrating AI into various aspects has been a transformative journey, enabling enhanced efficiency, precision, and possibilities that were once deemed futuristic. Her enthusiasm for AI transcends beyond personal use; she is committed to demystifying this technology for others, showcasing its potential to revolutionise how we approach challenges and tasks in our daily lives. By sharing her own knowledge and experiences, Ashley aims to ignite a similar passion in others, empowering them to explore and leverage AI's capabilities to enrich their own lives and professions.

Sameen Qayyum BSc(Hons) MCOptom DipTp(IP) Prof Cert Glau Prof Cert Med Ret AFHEA is an Independent Prescribing Optometrist, with a broad set of skills that she has developed over the last 16 years since she qualified. She has worked in various fields: Refractive surgery, High Street Optometry, Aston university and most recently as a Specialist Optometrist at the Queens Medical Centre. Sameen has been involved in multiple learning and development activities in all her previous roles including being the CPD lead for the Nottinghamshire LOC. Sameen also reviews the IP guidelines for the College of Optometrists. She has recently taken up the role of a Vision Care Training Expert for the Leonardo team at Essilor Luxottica.

Kath Truman is the Learning and Development Manager at Hakim Group. Kath has worked in the industry for over 20 years both in practice and a training role.

Dr Sam Strong (BSc, PhD, MEd, SFHEA) is a Senior Lecturer and Year 1 Lead (MOptom) at Aston University. She has a degree in Psychology and leads on the 'Health and Patient Psychology' Masters-level module at Aston. Within her work, she specialises in visual perception (particularly objects that move), optics, and education.

"I love contact lenses." It's a simple statement that reflects Kari Anne's long-standing passion for improving vision and changing lives. As a trained optometrist and the Nordic Professional Affairs Manager of Vision Care at Bausch + Lomb, she brings over 25 years of experience in the eye care industry - combining clinical expertise with strong commercial insight.Early in her career, Kari Anne worked in practice, where she cared for patients and managed an optical store. This hands-on experience sparked her belief in the power of clear, confident communication to support better outcomes and build lasting trust. For the past 15 years at Bausch + Lomb, Kari Anne has focused on supporting eye care professionals, helping them grow in confidence, adapt to innovation, and communicate with greater impact. Through training sessions, lectures, and interactive workshops, she shares practical strategies to make complex messages simple and meaningful for patients.

Lizzie Bartlam is a Doctor of Ophthalmic Science and professionally qualified as a Dispensing Optician, Low Vision Optician and Contact Lens Optician.She possesses senior fellowship of the Higher Education Authority and has a BSc (Hons) in Ophthalmic Dispensing. Lizzie has worked at Aston University for 26 years as a Teaching Fellow responsible for teaching Low Vision, which is her main area of interest, and also the year 3 tutor for the BSc programme as well as the Stage 4 year tutor for the MOptom programme and Optometry Admissions Tutor.Lizzie is a Senior Tutor for ABDO College, having been a College tutor for 27 years and a Course Writer. Lizzie has been an external examiner for Bradford College, Anglia Ruskin University and is currently an external examiner for Birmingham City University for their rehabilitation courses for the visually impaired. She is an Education Visitor Panellist for the General Optical Council and was previously the Principal Examiner for the ABDO Low Vision Honours course as well as a practical and theoretical examiner for ABDO low vision and dispensing examinations. Lizzie has written many CPD articles for various publications and delivered CPD events.

Darren Taylor (BSc. (Hons.) MCOptom) is an Optometrist with over 25 years experience in the industry. Darren has worked in various sectors of the optical industry, from business owner of a high street multiple practice, to practising in the independent and domiciliary sectors. Darren has also performed Professional Services roles for a number of well-established companies in the sector, with particular emphasis on coaching and professional training and education, including authoring and hosting educational events and facilitating at various CET meetings on a wide range of optometric subjects.Darren joined EssilorLuxottica in April 2021 as "Optometry Sales & Product Training Manager". His main areas of focus currently are advanced refraction techniques, Myopia Management, Dry Eye disease, OCT interpretation and business coaching.

Sally Bates BSc(Hons) FBDO Cert Ed is proprietor of "Specs Education with Sally" (formerly Identity Optical Training) providing training and development for all aspects of the optical industry including dispensing related CPD, Optical Assistants training, and exam Revision Courses and Mock Exams for trainee Dispensing Opticians and non-EU Optometrists. A former ABDO practical examiner and lecturer at ABDO College of Education, Anglia Ruskin University and City University, Sally has over 30 years of higher education experience and regularly presents CPD workshops and lectures. She has presented at numerous conferences in the UK and internationally including 100% Optical, Specsavers PAC, Silmo (Prague and Athens 2025), ABDO, and the Irish Association of Dispensing Opticians. She provides tailor made training for independent practices focussing on areas of concern and business growth. Her latest development is online tuition designed for FQE Practical Exam students. She has authored a number of CPD articles for Optician, Dispensing Optics, and Optometry Today and presents dispensing related subjects on the OT Skills Guide YouTube Channel.

Mr. Pedro Muel-Gonzalez is an NHS Consultant Ophthalmologist with a special interest in cataract and ocular plastic surgery. Mr Muel-Gonzalez holds a substantive NHS Consultant position at Mid Cheshire Hospitals Foundation Trust since 2014. Here he is the Lead for the Cataract surgery service and for Theater efficiency, leading a very busy cataract surgery theater every week. He performs more than 1000 lens replacement and cataract surgeries every year at the NHS and privately. He is an Educational Supervisor recognized by the Royal College of Ophthalmology, training future ophthalmologist from North West England. Mr Muel-Gonzalez is passionate about teaching eye surgery, including cataract and ocular plastic procedures. He receives trainees in his NHS theater at Mid Cheshire Hospitals FT on a regular basis. His areas of interest include cataract surgery under topical anesthesia, plastic ocular surgery, management of the watery eye and medical and laser treatment of glaucoma. He has extensive experience in general ophthalmology and emergency care. He also actively collaborates with a charity organisation, regularly travelling to the African Sahara to treat patients from refugee camps by operating on complex cataracts and plastic surgery cases. Mr Muel-Gonzalez attends regularly national and international Ophthalmology meetings and has been awarded for his presentations on numerous occasions. Mr Pedro Muel-Gonzalez is member a of the Royal College of Ophthalmology as well as the British Ocular Plastic Surgery Society among other professional membership bodies.