NHS and private eye care provider SpaMedica has established an award in memory of Linda Grant, one of SpaMedica’s first employees. Read more about Linda and the award here: ow.ly/LJvZ50ZSQL5

We spent three days at the @UKLabour Party Conference in Liverpool, learning about how optometry can play a part in upcoming social care reform. We’ve been speaking to key voices across rhe profession to find out more. Look out for our conference coverage in the coming days.

What does a healthy study-life balance look like? Optometry student @AstonUniversity Ikrah Mahmood shares three lessons she’s learned about balancing her studies with life outside optometry. Read Ikrah’s three reflections ↓

What goes into getting an issue of OT ready to print? From reviewing designs on screen to printing pages for one final check, editor Emily McCormick goes through every detail before sign-off. Take a look at The flexibility matters edition 👇

What are the ingredients that give a practice its special touch? We asked practices, Yorkshire Eyewear, Haydenswan Eyecare, and The Focal Rooms, to describe the environment they aim to create. Read more here: ow.ly/Bokr50ZSkvs

The Duchess of Edinburgh visited Zambia to highlight the need for greater access to eye health services and the importance of tackling avoidable sight loss. She was hosted by @IAPB1, alongside Orbis and Sightsavers. Read ➡️ ow.ly/Iozj50ZSemV

What are the keys to supporting patient confidence, clarity and care through communication in the practice? Here we summarised five takeaways from a Specsavers PAC session on the importance of communication between colleagues and with patients → ow.ly/J4Q050ZRE5t

In this video, Farah Topia, @The_AOP clinical and regulatory advisor, shares seven record-keeping tips to help optometrists practise safely and protect themselves in the event of a complaint or investigation. Watch the video and hear more advice → ow.ly/glsx50ZRRzv

In Wales, Teach and Treat clinics are upskilling optometrists in IP, glaucoma care and medical retina. Here, Professor Barbara Ryan @cardiffuni spoke to us about the rollout of Teach and Treat clinics. Read more here: ow.ly/EPOm50ZREqp

This National Eye Health Week, Boots Opticians launched its Eyes on the Road campaign. The new campaign aims to encourage drivers over the age of 70 to prioritise their eye health. Ambassador for the campaign, Larry Lamb, also showed his support. Read → ow.ly/xZhB50ZREhr

In our feature, A final thought, @The_AOP Councillor and IP optometrist Sarah Lowry reflects on how extended eye care pathways have evolved throughout her career and the difference they can make to patients. Read more from Sarah here: ow.ly/QN2O50ZRC4m

“I believe someone will need cataract surgery on Mars in my lifetime,” says Dr Morgan Micheletti. During his presentation @ESCRSofficial he described a project where different intraocular lenses were sent to space. Read more here: ow.ly/eiej50ZRCLc

Medical tech company, Cascader, completes seed funding round. The funding will support the company, which is focused on applying AI to the detection of eye disease, to advance its initial products towards launch. Find out more here: ow.ly/M5at50ZRxjH

IT issues cause some optometrists to be locked out of NI referral platform. Email referrals are being used as a stopgap measure by some practices while issues with the Clinical Communication Gateway are resolved. Read more in our news story 👉 ow.ly/3hIA50ZRuHH

We’re delighted to share that we won Best Magazine (Circulation under 20K) at the 2026 Memcom Excellence Awards last night. Our editor Emily McCormick said: “Winning this award is a wonderful recognition.” A huge thank you to everyone for their continued support. @The_AOP

Specsavers has teamed up with Parkrun to increase accessibility and encourage those with disabilities, including sight and hearing loss, to take part in the weekly 5k. Find out more here: ow.ly/AWXP50ZR54Y

This #NationalEyeHealthWeek, we’ve been out and about asking practitioners to share one message they’d most like their communities to hear. Here’s what they had to say 👇 Read here: ow.ly/VSFR50ZR4Iy @myvisionmatters

Glaucoma UK launched an awareness campaign during National Eye Health Week, highlighting free NHS-funded sight tests for people aged 60+. The campaign encourages those turning 60 to book an eye test. Find out more 👉 ow.ly/M2Gl50ZR0bJ @glaucoma_uk

As part of our new feature series supporting @The_AOP Eye care everywhere campaign, we put a spotlight on how enhanced services are benefiting patients, practitioners and the health service. Read our full feature here → ow.ly/FW3f50ZQC3O

Did you know 14.5m British people are missing routine sight tests? This National Eye Health Week, @EyecareTrust is urging the public not to put off having their eyes checked, after new research revealed millions are missing routine sight tests. Read → ow.ly/Ou3b50ZQAV7