For the first time, the British Contact Lens Association’s (BCLA’s) Certificate in Dry Eye and Contact Lens Retention, will be available outside of the UK.

The Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society’s second dry eye workshop (TFOS DEWS II) vice chair, Associate Professor Jennifer Craig, has been approved to lead the first satellite objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE) testing site outside the UK in New Zealand.

Recognised as a game-changer in continuing education, the BCLA was the first to bring its members live demonstration TFOS DEWS II lectures in 2017. These now feature across the world, including within the University of Auckland’s School of Optometry and Vision Science (SOVS) teaching programme.

Together with fellow TFOS DEWS II steering committee members, Professors James Wolffsohn and Lyndon Jones, A/Prof Craig (collectively nicknamed the ‘three musketears’), subsequently joined forces with the BCLA to develop the dry eye disease (DED) management certificate. It can be used towards a BCLA fellowship and is designed to support practitioners’ keen to specialise in DED management. Comprised of a series of online lectures and resources, with online assessment and feedback, it also includes approved practical workshops for gaining hands-on experience in performing the latest techniques.

“Having the certificate signals to patients and peers alike, a practitioner’s dedication and high level of contemporary knowledge in dry eye, which can facilitate practice-building in this specialist area,” said A/Prof Craig, adding how exciting it is to bring the certificate to practitioners in Australasia for the first time.

The first New Zealand OSCE, scheduled to be held in parallel with the SOVS-hosted Scientific and Educators’ Meeting in Optometry (SEMO) conference in April, fell victim to the impact of the pandemic, but is expected to be up and running in coming months, said A/Prof Craig. Those interested in BCLA membership and pursuing a Certificate in Dry Eye and Contact Lens Retention are encouraged to check the BCLA website (www.bcla.org.uk) for more details.