Record numbers soak up weekend of learning at BCLA Asia

Record numbers soak up weekend of learning at BCLA Asia

Record numbers of delegates have helped ‘shape the future’ of contact lenses during a two-day hybrid event in Taipei.

BCLA Asia, run in conjunction with the Myopia Update Symposium in Taiwan, was held at the Evergreen International Convention Centre on 13 and 14 August, giving local eye care professionals the opportunity to attend the meeting face to face, with international delegates participating online.

The conference was jointly organised by the BCLA, the Myopia Prevention and Treatment Center of Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, and the Taiwan Macula Society.

The two-day programme covered two themes, with the opening day held under the banner of ‘Shape the future with contact lenses in your hands’ and the second day labelled ‘Myopia Control, must do it’.

Luke Stevens-Burt, chief executive of the BCLA, said: “With up to 500 delegates joining us for BCLA Asia over the weekend, this was a truly engaging conference that will really make a difference to everyday practice across the region.

“A packed programme featuring some of the world’s most highly regarded speakers really resonated with our audience and we look forward to seeing the impact these sessions have in the years to come.”

Prof James Wolffsohn opened and closed the conference, while sessions included Hong Kong-based Prof Pauline Cho discussing contact lenses and children, Prof Ian Morgan from Canberra discussing risk factors for myopia and new directions in myopic prevention and control and a look at the most mis-interpreted evidence in myopia management with contact lenses, delivered by Prof. Maria Liu San Francisco.

Prof Meng Lin gave a glimpse into the future of clinical practice with a session explaining how artificial intelligence can provide a deeper understanding of meibomian gland features while Prof Padmaja Sankaridurg discussed axial length in myopia management.

As a market with a history of Atropine use for more than 20 years, local organiser Dr Pei Chang Wu presented a ‘Visit My Clinic’ session to share Taiwan’s myopia control experience with the world. With all four kinds of myopia control strategies, (Atropine, orthokeratology, soft contact lenses and spectacles) available in Taiwan, an interactive live polling session was arranged to see how local practitioners choose their myopia control method.