BCLA President says profession is well-placed to meet ‘exciting’ challenges to come

BCLA President says profession is well-placed to meet ‘exciting’ challenges to come

The new President of the BCLA has urged members to “speak up, keep asking and don’t give up on the first ‘no’ as they build their career, saying “it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey”.

Byki Huntjens used her Presidential Address on Wednesday, 25 June to focus on the importance of storytelling, reflection, and forward-thinking while inspiring the next generation of eye care practitioners and educators to forge their own path in the profession.

Using her own experiences of repeatedly asking to join the local marching band as a young girl, Byki outlined the importance of persistence, resilience and determination.

She said: “That experience taught me that if you want to create change, whether it’s for your students, for your patient, for the profession, we need to be brave, take risks, and speak up.”

The lecture, delivered virtually via Zoom, straight after the BCLA’s Annual General Meeting held on the same night, explored how advances in materials, modalities, and patient expectations over the past 50 years have not only shaped modern contact lens development, but also the way that eye care professionals teach, learn, and connect.

Byki, who was handed the BCLA Presidential chain by outgoing President Sarah Farrant, added: “The world around us is amazing. It’s moving super-fast. We’re talking about smart contact lenses for disease monitoring and drug delivery. We’re talking about contact lenses that are printed with 3D technology and an explosion of AI-driven health tools.

“It’s an exciting time, and it requires a lot of adaption and a lot of overcoming challenges. Over time, we have shown that as a profession we are well placed to do exactly that.”

Byki is a consultant educator and optometrist from the Netherlands, Education Lead with the Association of Optometrists, and an honorary senior research fellow at City St George’s, University of London collaborating on the TFOS Lifestyle report, BCLA CLEAR, and Cochrane.

Her current educational and research interests include contact lenses, dry eye, and AI. Byki, a BCLA Fellow and certificate lead, is also a Fellow of IACLE and former Director.

The BCLA’s AGM also saw Dr Robin Chalmers appointed as an Honorary Life Member.

Dr Chalmers has been an Editor working with the Contact Lens and Anterior (CLAE) journal for 16 years, a period that has seen the journal gain an ever-rising impact factor and sit in the upper quartile of all ranked ophthalmology journals, gaining more than 500 new submissions a year.

CLAE editor-in-chief Shahzad Naroo said: “Robin’s hard work has contributed to CLAE’s success. She has always been a delight to work with and is retiring from all ophthalmic work to spend time enjoying her garden, spend time with her family and focus on many non-profit ventures including a service that delivers medical equipment to hospitals in developing countries. Her enthusiasm and infectious smile will be missed and her colleagues at CLAE wish her a happy retirement.”