The Yorkshire Optical Society

The Yorkshire Optical Society was founded in 1899 and existed until 2023 to provide Continuing Education and Training for Optometrists, Dispensing Opticians and Contact Lens Opticians.  The Yorkshire Optical Society organised various lectures and events, including the prestigious Owen Aves Memorial Lecture and a Foundation Lecture each year, and sponsored an annual student prize for final year Optometry students at the University of Bradford.

The Yorkshire Optical Society postponed lectures in 2020 when the COVID pandemic prevented face-to-face meetings.  Then followed an increase in online lectures and seminars from various providers around the UK.  Post-pandemic there are many more providers of CPD than when the Society was in its heyday, with events now organised by the mutliple opticians chains, the Association of Optometrists, the College of Optometrists, Local Optical Committees, hospital eye departments, spectacle lens manufacturers, contact lens manufacturers and equipment manufacturers in addition to the non-interactive learning from magazine articles.

Sadly, attendance at Yorkshire Optical Society lectures has dwindled in recent years.  It has been difficult to attract new members to the Society and new volunteers to run the Society Council.

We held our AGM on 14 September 2023.

Andrew Thornton presented the Owen Aves Memorial Lecture on the subject Primary Care OCT: A practical Discussion.

All paid-up members of the society from 2018 and 2019 (the last year we took subscriptions) were invited.   Those present voted to close the Yorkshire Optical Society.  The 2019 Council members will remain in post to enact the wishes of the members to dissolve the Society.