Grant Hannaford accepts his award from IOA president Fiona Anderson at Silmo 2022 in Paris

Australian dispensing optician, ophthalmic physicist and practice owner Grant Hannaford has been named IOA International Optician of the Year by the International Opticians Association (IOA) at Silmo in Paris.

Introduced in 2018, the award recognises the importance of the optician, their role in the business and their choice of the best products for their patients, said Fiona Anderson, IOA president. “Grant Hannaford has made Hannaford Eyewear a destination for leading-edge innovation and excellence in clinical care for the Southern Highlands in Australia, as well as delivering optical dispensing training for optometrists at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). He embodies an optician whose patients are at the heart of all that he does.” Hannaford’s prize is a trip for two to Silmo Paris 2023.

An adjunct senior lecturer at the School of Optometry and Vision Science at UNSW, Hannaford, together with his optometrist wife Thao, has grown Hannaford Eyewear to a multi-practitioner location, mentoring more than 50 staff in optometry, optical dispensing and administrative roles, several of whom now operate their own practices.

Among the four finalists was April Petrusma, inaugural CEO of the new Optical Dispensers Australia association.