As we lean into the next CPD cycle, this is the perfect time to reflect on how we gain our CPD points and what changes we will make for the next cycle.
At the tail end of 2024, I had the pleasure of chairing one stream of the Scottish Optical Conference in Glasgow. It was magnificent to see so many dispensing opticians (DOs) within the audience – and I was delighted to find that I knew most of them by name. Unfortunately, as chair, I didn’t have quite as much time as I would have liked to network with colleagues. For me, in-person meetings are far superior to distance learning or webinar events. However, for most of us, our CPD will result from a combination of all three.
Making CPD connections
Long before CPD was compulsory, I had the pleasure of attending ABDO regional meetings and Scottish Contact Lens Society (SCLS) meetings. The ABDO event at the Golden Lion Hotel in Stirling was initially a social event, and was a great way to catch up with friends from my student days. We would learn about the wonderful mistakes we had made whilst working in practice – each trying to outdo the next with our errors.
In the mid 1990s, I spent some time with a preregistration optometrist who asked me some difficult contact lens questions. Sadly, I didn’t know all of the answers and I was a little embarrassed that I was not as up-to-date as I could have been. I was determined to improve my knowledge and so pledged to attend the monthly SCLS meetings, which were held 50 metres from my place of work, so I had no excuse for not attending.
Going along to these meetings provided me with some great learning experiences – and encouraged me to learn more, which I did by joining the British Contact Lens Association and reading the optical journals. We were regularly visited by such luminaries as Professors Brien Holden, Nathan Efron, Phill Morgan, Alan Saks and John Dart amongst others, who all passed on their great pearls of wisdom to our small enthusiastic group.
Sometimes it would be a research project and other times a new product launch, though it was always interesting and a great learning experience. After the meeting, we regularly went for dinner, and I learned a huge amount from speaking to local practitioners. We also made great friendships and today I still count many of these people as friends.
I very quickly found that my expanding knowledge of the contact lens world made my day-to-day role so much more enjoyable, and it encouraged me to learn as I went along. One year, I attended the SCLS AGM, and this proved to be a career-changing moment. I was honoured to be elected to the committee, and that was the beginning of my time involved in optical administration and politics. Not only did it teach me about the workings of optical committees, I made invaluable contacts and connections.
I would encourage as many members as possible to attend in-person CPD events at least once during this new three-year cycle – and use such opportunities not only to learn but to rekindle friendships and make new ones. There are many optical events throughout the cycle including the ABDO clinical conference, the Scottish Optical Conference, Eyecare, 100% Optical and the BCLA clinical conference to name but a few.
Of course, online webinars and lectures are also extremely valuable methods of learning – and are particularly helpful for those in remote locations and with family ties preventing them attending in person. ABDO provides a huge number of online learning opportunities each year, hosted by the hard working CPD team. Another option to expand your learning and development is to consider becoming an ABDO CPD facilitator; just contact the CPD team and they will lead the way. I hope to see you at an in=person event soon.
Graeme Stevenson FBDO (Hons) CL is ABDO regional lead for Scotland. He is also a part-time supervisor at Glasgow Caledonian University, and a member of the General Optical Council’s Education Visitor Panel.
This article first appeared in the February issue of Dispensing Optics. Read Graeme’s report of Eyecare Glasgow, since published on DO Online. Photos from Eyecare Glasgow 2025.