Welcome to the College of Optometry OT Preview pages
June 14th and June 15th 2026 at Harrogate Convention Centre
Here you can find links to registration and the educational program and booking facilities
Quick Links
Conference Booking – Secure your place today and take advantage of the early bird discount for the best value tickets.
Educational programme – Browse the Program
All the news we receive from the OT organisers will be repeated here as well as on our live news pages on the Home Page at Opchatnews (www.opchatnews.com) where it will be originally published.
We will be adding preview pages from the companies supporting the OT extravaganza with information on what will be shown and demonstrated in the exhibition hall at Harrogate.
We will also send out eblasts in one month and one week before the conference and Exhibition to all our readers.
Here we will share stories about the many key speakers that have been booked to educate, inform and amuse you over 2 days during which time you can amass half your yearly required CPD points.
Optometry Tomorrow
What makes this year’s programme stand out
Optometry Tomorrow 2026 feels special not just because of the breadth of clinical content, but because of the spirit behind it. Every session has been shaped with one aim: to support you.
We know practice is changing fast. Expectations are rising. New technologies arrive quicker than guidance can keep up. And the pressure on practitioners is very real. That’s why we’ve built a programme that balances clinical excellence, innovation, and your professional growth.
Since last summer, I have had the privilege of leading a team of experts to shape the Optometry Tomorrow 2026 programme. You’ll see a wide range of topics alongside fresh content. There are more small-group sessions and extra opportunities to strengthen the confidence that only comes from practising together.
There are many sessions I’m looking forward to but especially these:
- Firstly, our AI keynote explores not just technology, but what it means for our profession going forward.
- Workshops, such as PVD detection and MGD, have we found the cure?, take a practical look at treatments and real solutions.
- You’ll also notice a growing focus on mental fitness and resilience, something we felt is important because supporting patients starts with supporting ourselves.
As well as these sessions, what excites me most is the community that comes alive at Optometry Tomorrow.
The conversations over coffee, the shared problem solving, the moment someone says, “I’ve always wondered about that…” and suddenly a whole group leans in. That sense of belonging is what makes our profession stronger.
If you’re newly qualified or decades in, if you’re here to sharpen skills, explore new ideas, or simply reconnect, we’ve created this programme with you in mind. I can’t wait to welcome you to Harrogate for two days that I know will leave you energised, supported, and ready for whatever comes next.
Hassnain Safdar MCOptom, Optometry Tomorrow 2026 Programme Lead
BOOK for Early Bird Prices NOW
Over half your required CPD in two days
Optometrty Exhibition Previews will start here shortly
Download Instructions for sending your conference exhibition previews Let us feature your Companies Plans for Optometry Tomorrow 2026
Scroll Down for the 2026 News Optometry Tomorrow Preview Pages
These will appear shortly
Exhibitors and Attendees
Primary Health Net Ltd Publishers of Opchat News and Mylocaloptician (Our editor will be available on all two days whilst on Press Duty Contact reporters by phone )
Eros Business Consulting/Primary Health Net Ltd (News Media Partners) (Contact reporters by phone)
CooperVison
Johnson & Johnson
Alcon
Boots Opticians
Glaukos
Hakim
Santen
Specsavers
Topcon HealthCare
Asda
Optos
Scope
Thea
Our media partner:
Our media partner:
We are partnering with Primary Health Net (PHN). PHN will be sharing the latest news and updates from Optometry Tomorrow 2026 about the programme, speakers and event highlights on its two media websites: OpchatNews.com and Mylocaloptician.co.uk.
The Preview Pages
Opchat News has remained a highly respected Optical News feed for over 20 years now and is read by over 7000 practitioners in the UK and ROI and USA.
Over 5000 practitioners subscribe to our fortnightly Opchat News Email Update where they can choose the news published over the last 14 days that affects them as well as keeping up with interesting stories provided by Membership Bodies, Academia, GOC, and the Optical and Hearing Sector as well as news from Government and personal stories of interest.
This is all made possible by our Headline Sponsors and Partners whose assistance allows a free publication to all the Optical Sector 24/7 throughout the year.
We thank them here and would ask you to make time to visit them at 100% Optical for which we are Media Partners for the 12th year in succession and helped them grow in the early days to the sizeable optical event they have become.
We are also Media Partners of SILMO Paris and recently been made sole media partners for the College of Optometrist’s Optometry Tomorrow this year.
A thankyou to our sponsors and partners:
Please make an effort to meet them at 100% and thank them for their help
If you feel you could possibly assist us in our publications and we could certainly help promote your business just get in touch with our CEO Bob Hutchinson
either now or at the show where you can meet privately. Just call now or on any of the three days either by phone or What’s App 07785353681 or email mail@primaryhealthnet.com
Now reaching out to the public is becoming a MUST DO for many companies where footfall can often be acheived by encouraging them to visit practices and stores and seek out the exciting products and services you offer.
You can do this with PHN’s sister publication Mylocaloptician.co.uk
Not only can we tell them about new products and new ophthamology services in their area but they can aslo research their best options for choosing practices in their home or work area just by using the “Find My Optician” search button where we have over 7000 practices names and addresses listed plus contact details listed by area, products abd services.
Opchat News & Mylocaloptician
Published by
Primary Health Net Ltd
07785 353681
Email: mail@primaryhealthnet.com
Web: https://www.primaryhealthnet.co.uk | http://www.mylocaloptician.co.uk
Alt: http://www.opchatnews.co.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/primaryhealthnt | http://twitter.com/mylocaloptician
Facebook: http://facebook.com/primaryhealth | http://facebook.com/mylocaloptician
Join us on LinkedIn:
Primary Health Net
https://www.linkedin.com/company/2390160/admin/feed/posts/
My Local Optician:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/2390173/admin/feed/posts/
Urgent Message to all Businesses that provide Partially Exempt Services.
Are you sure that your Partial Exemption process, treatment of De Minimis and your refunded Input Tax is being treated fairly in your accounting processes?
Eros Business Consulting is called in to both Audiology and Optical concerns who are at odds local HMRC officers or who have suspicions that their Full Cost Apportionment Percentages are unfair to the business or have been made aware by HMRC that they are not applying the de minimis rules correctly.
Many of these businesses have relied on their accountants especially since “Making Tax Digital (MTD)” came into force to calculate their returns often from Digital Book-keeping Systems that cannot deal with Partial exemption or checking de minimis.
In recent times clients we have assisted were unaware that they were accounting for partial exemption incorrectly having found out either by intervention from HMRC or by asking us to run an audit on their process.
In each case Eros Business Consulting has put in a system which is legally compliant either by assisting their accountants or working with the client allowing them to upload their returns themselves, leaving the accountants to deal with the basic company year-end accounts.
Are you sure that your business is:
- correctly applying partial exemption rules?
- has the fair and correct full cost apportionment percentage on spectacle, contact lens and hearing aid sales?
- is correctly applying on each return a de minimis check?
Bob Hutchinson
Consider a Partial Exemption Health Check
At Eros Business Consulting we have designed a questionnaire for you to complete as well as offering a confidential call following its assessment as to whether you are HMRC compliant, likely to be achieving a realistic value of refunded input tax and correctly determining de minimis on each return.
The VAT health check costs £150 plus vat and if you need further assistance our rates thereafter are below average accountancy rates per hour, timed to the minute. (Rates available on request)
Contact Bob Hutchinson Principal at Eros Business Consulting for more information and our Partial Exemption Audit Check questionnaire today by email or by our contact page https://erosconsultants.com/contact-us/
Just add in the comments or message box: Partial Exemption Audit Check
A view from a large Company Accountants
Our own large Company Accountants are in agreement, and you can read from Kinnaird Hill and Associate’s chief accountant a warning to others on being complacent and that many accounting practices are deficient in Partial Exemption Knowledge and the required skill set should be left to those who wholly spend time of PE Businesses as we do.
Partial exemption is an extremely complicated and specialist area that in my experience many accountants either ignore or simply get wrong. My firm has successfully used Eros Business Consulting many times with our clients as a specialist advisor.
The risks to businesses that do not successfully calculate their VAT for partial exemption are basically twofold:
- firstly the missing out of correct claims that can involve thousands of pound each year,
- and secondly making a mistake the other way and end up owing HMRC vat incorrectly claimed over many years.
I would encourage any business owner who does either personally or through an accountancy practice or should be dealing with Partial Exemption to have Eros Business Consulting check them out with an Audit.
David Rees FCCA
Going to Optometry Tomorrow ?
Well i will be there with my Press Hat on but I can find time for you for a free confidential chat if you wnat to put your mind at rest over VAT or other management issues for Optical and Hearing and Ophthalmology businesses.
Bob Hutchinson will be at Optometry Tomorrow on both days and is willing to meet for a short face to face discussion at the conference.
email: info@erosconsultants.com to arrange a suitable time or call 07785 353681
News you may have missed
The College partners with Primary Health Net as it’s media partner for Optometry Tomorrow 2026
The College of Optometrists has announced its partnering with Primary Health Net as the media partner for June’s Optometry Tomorrow 2026.
Optometry Tomorrow is the College’s flagship conference and will take place on Sunday 14 and Monday 15 June 2026 at Harrogate Convention Centre. The conference will see eyecare professionals from across the sector come together for a two-day programme of expert-led talks from across the eye care sector, practical sessions, clinical updates and skills workshops, all shaped by an expert advisory panel and member feedback.
Primary Health Net (PHN) the publishers of two optical online news sites will be sharing the latest news and updates from Optometry Tomorrow 2026 about the programme, speakers and event highlights on its two media websites: Opchatnews.com, the profession’s site and Mylocaloptician.co.uk, the public informatiopn site.
Dr Gillian Rudduck MCOptom, President of The College of Optometrists, said, “We’d like to thank Primary Health Net for sharing Optometry Tomorrow’s news and announcements with its readers across Opchat News and Mylocaloptician.co.uk. We’re looking forward to bringing together the eye care community for two days of practical learning, connection, growth and innovation.”
Bob Hutcheson, FCOptom, CEO of Primary Health Net, said, “As a keen supporter and a Fellow of the College, I regard our sole media partnership with the College of Optometrists as a privilege for PHN to be involved. It is also proof that our professional site is read by a broad spectrum of independent members of the profession as well as those represented by our other long-term partners FODO and the AIO.
As a truly independent source of news that covers everything in Optics and Audiology with access free to the professions this is also an opportunity to grow our readership to above its 7000 level. See You all in Harrogate. “
Book your ticket today
Standard two-day tickets are available for members of The College of Optometrists and Optometry Tomorrow’s partners’ members (Association of British Dispensing Opticians, Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists) at the discounted early bird are of £200 until 17 April.
For more details and to book tickets visit:
www.college-optometrists.org/optometrytomorrow
Sponsorship opportunities still available
There are also a limited number of brand sponsorship and exhibition opportunities available to connect with the eye care community at Optometry Tomorrow. For more details visit: Sponsorship – Optometry Tomorrow 2026
College announces official partners for Optometry Tomorrow 2026
New partnerships will further expand the flagship conference’s renowned learning programme for 2026’s delegates
The College of Optometrists has today announced that the Association of British Dispensing Opticians, Royal College of Nursing and Royal College of Ophthalmologists will be its official partners for Optometry Tomorrow 2026, the College’s flagship conference for members and associate members.
Optometry Tomorrow takes place on Sunday 14 and Monday 15 June 2026 at Harrogate Convention Centre and will bring together optometrists, dispensing opticians, contact lens opticians, ophthalmic nurses, ophthalmologists and other eye health care professionals from across the UK to learn, connect and grow.
The new partnerships will enhance the conference’s programme with essential multi-disciplinary learning to support eye care professionals from across all healthcare pathways in delivering excellence in patient eye care.
Dr Gillian Rudduck MCOptom, President of The College of Optometrists, said, “We’re excited to introduce our three conference partners for Optometry Tomorrow 2026, enabling us to deliver even greater value for our delegates. Clinical learning, CPD and future insights remain at the heart of the conference and we’re looking forward to collaborating with our 2026 partners to further support optometrists and eye health professionals to learn, connect and grow.”
Alistair Bridge CEO at Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO), commented: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with the College of Optometrists to provide a high-quality clinical conference for both optometrists and dispensing opticians. As key members of the practice team, they play vital and complementary roles in providing excellent care to patients – and this conference will enable them to learn about the latest clinical developments, and from each other.”
Carmel Bagness, Royal College of Nursing Professional Lead supporting the RCN Ophthalmic Nursing forum committee, said, “Nursing staff know only too well the importance of maintaining good eye health and having access to high-quality eye care professionals. The Royal College of Nursing is delighted to be part of this conference and the opportunity to share and learn from best practice, to grow clinical learning, and give our patients the best possible care.”
Ali Rivett, Chief Executive of The Royal College of Ophthalmologists, said, “As part of the multidisciplinary eye care team, we look forward to collaborating on learning and development opportunities that will benefit all our members and support them to continue delivering first class patient care.”
Across two days delegates can expect:
- A wide variety of leading hands-on practical clinical learning
- High standard of CPD, including peer reviews and workshops
- The latest sector insights, innovation and future focused talks
- A new informal learning and community zone to learn about new products, catch up on latest clinical practice and learn about how you can make the next step in your career
- A vibrant exhibition and networking space to connect with colleagues and professionals from across the sector.
Members and associate members are encouraged to save the date in their diaries.
Find out more at Optometry Tomorrow – College of Optometrists.
