European Academy of Optometry and Optics

Message from the President

Dear Academy Members, Founder Members and Fellows,

This is my first address to you in my role as the new President of the European Academy of Optometry and Optics.

After a two-year break, in the month of May, we sprang back to life by resuming the tradition of having face-to-face conferences. In Dublin, the programme of this year’s conference attracted the interest of various ranks of practitioners and academics from all over Europe.

After the long Covid lockdown months of online communication and listening to presentations in front of a screen, it was liberating to engage in a live event.With speakers such as Prof. Mark Bullimore, Prof. Carly Lam, Prof. Ian Flitcroft, Prof. Bruce Evans, Lorcan Butler, Prof. John Nolan, Dr. Patrick Quaid ,Peter Black, Fiona Anderson, Prof. James Loughman, there was something interesting for everyone. The workshops were held in the new  National Optometry Centre at Technological University Dublin, which made an impression on everyone with the organization of the facilities, halls and classrooms fitted with state-of-the-art equipment

Special thanks must go to our partners in the organization of the conference – the Association of Optometrists Ireland (AOI), as well as to our sponsors – EssilorLuxottica, HOYA, bollé SAFETY, OCULUS, SCOPE, OCUCO, THEA, TOPCON Healthcare, WOLF Eyewear, ZEISS, CooperVision, VivaQuity.

At the formal dinner, the family of Fellows present in Dublin was joined by two more members – Sonia Zinken from The Netherlands and Martin O’Brien from the AOI .

For the first time since the pandemic, a live General Assembly was held within the framework of the conference in Dublin.

It is a great honour and responsibility for me to succeed the post of EAOO President following the previous president, Prof. Nicholas Rumney who led the EAOO through the uncertain times of Covid.

I am pleased to announce the names of the new new members of the Board of Trustees –  Rupal Lovell-Patel, Dr. Daniela Oehring and Eva Lazuka-Nicoulaud.

At a meeting of the Board of Trustees, Rupal Lovell-Patel was unanimously elected Vice President of EAOO.

The new members of the Education Committee of the EAOO, whose chairman continues to be Professor José Manuel Gonzalez- Meijome, are  Dinah Paritzky , Dominique Meslin and Dr. Santiago Escandon Garcia. Their active work will help fill the new website, which has a brand new look, with content and sources of educational information, as well as planned certification opportunities.

A German professor once told me the following: “In America, if you go from east to west, you will pass through many states, but you will not have to cross borders and everyone will speak the same language to you. In Europe, if you go from east to west, you will have to pass through many border controls, you will be spoken to in different languages, you will meet different cultures. “

Over the years, I have traveled and actively participated in many different professional events. This has given me the opportunity to see how the practice of eye care in Europe is changing and see that these changes are happening at a different pace in different countries. As a profession, we need to work together to ensure we address issues such as an ageing population, increasing healthcare needs, myopia management, technological advances and consumer demands.

If I have to say in one word what attracts me to the EAOO – it is the society. Membership of the Academy leads to contacts with eye specialists who are looking for both personal and professional growth, monitoring changes in the practice of eye care.

I would like to assure you that in the future, you, our members, will continue to be at the center of the EAOO, with your needs and wants being recognized and your feedback being heard. You, our members and supporters, are the living proof that the fire of knowledge will always be alive and burning!

It is an honour, but also a great responsibility, for me to lead the Academy for the next two years, together with my colleagues from the Board of Trustees and the members of the Education Committee. We will also rely on our sponsors, without whom such an initiative could not be fully implemented, as well as relying on the valuable support of current and future members. Let the desire for science and the faith that each of us carries in our hearts give us the strength to move forward and continue to develop the EAOO project, a project that will be a guarantee that we continue to speak one language – the language of professionals!