Nominations open for 2021 BCLA Awards

Nominations open for 2021 BCLA Awards

Nominations are now open for the 2021 BCLA Awards, with the nation’s leading eye care practitioners vying for some of the profession’s most coveted crowns.

Held as part of this year’s Virtual Clinical Conference and Exhibition, the awards will honour those who have a track record for excellence in eye care and a passion for pioneering new techniques that are transforming everyday practice.

The flagship event is being held online due to COVID-19 restrictions, with a groundbreaking live-streaming service beaming coverage around the world across multiple timezones.

BCLA chief executive Luke Stevens-Burt said: “Recognition from your peers is arguably the ultimate accolade and the BCLA Awards are held in incredibly high esteem across the profession.

“We look forward to receiving a high standard of nominations and submissions and the competition is sure to be strong.”

Categories include the BCLA Dry Eye Practitioner of the Year Award, to be given to an individual working in practice, with a proven record in managing dry eye. It is aimed to honour and recognise the work of an eye care professional who has set up and runs a successful dry eye clinic.

The BCLA Young Contact Lens Practitioner Award will be given to an individual working in practice, just starting out in their career. It is aimed to honour and recognise the work of an eye care professional who has been qualified for no more than five years operating within the field of contact lenses.

The BCLA Industry Award will be given to an individual or team working within industry who has made an outstanding contribution to the contact lens profession either in relation to a product/technology or a concept. It is aimed to honour and recognise the entrepreneurial work being carried out by individuals working in contact lens science, research and technology within the industry.

Entries are also invited for the Diane Gould Photography Competition, with submissions able to feature in an online image gallery open to BCLA members.

The deadline for submissions to all categories is 3rd May, 2021. Further details on entry criteria and how to make a nomination for either yourself or a fellow professional can be found online.

As well as the awards, the virtual Clinical Conference and Exhibition will feature a host of passionate speakers who can inspire eye care professionals to make a real difference to patients’ lives, including the lead authors of all papers contained in the CLEAR reports.

Alcon are Partner Sponsors for the event while CooperVision and Johnson & Johnson Visioncare are Platinum Sponsors.

For more information on registering for the BCLA’s virtual Clinical Conference and Exhibition, visit www.bcla.org.uk

Photos from the previous awards are also attached, showing Saleel Jivraj and Eleanor Hill collecting their awards for Dry Eye Practitioner of the Year and Young Contact Lens Practitioner of the Year respectively from former BCLA President Professor Sunil Shah.