Professional organisations have as an ethos, dedication to the advancement of the knowledge and practice of professions through developing, supporting, regulating and promoting professional standards for technical and ethical competence.
In this they are all concerned with the public benefit as well as the reputation of professionals. They aim to maintain and develop professionalism and thereby securing high quality professional services for society.
In line with that general statement of the nature of professional organisations the ABDO’s specific objectives are:
‘To support, protect and advance the character, status and interests of dispensing opticians’.
‘The advancement, for the benefit of the public, of the science and art of dispensing optics and promotion of research into such science and art, provided that the useful results of any such research is disseminated for public benefit’
Within the structure of the ABDO exists the facility to encourage and develop their member’s ideas on possible research subjects that fulfil those criteria. The Education Trust encourages and promotes education and research in the art and science of dispensing optics for the public benefit. An excellent article on the subject appeared in issue 34 of Re:View. If you don't have it email me
An example of a small-scale in-practice clinical trial, the results of which were first published in clinical trials poster form (click Read more to see full poster) on the ABDO stand at Optrafair in 2018, was the ABDO Contact Lens Uncorrected Cylinder (CLUC) Trial comparing low-cyl toric contact lenses to spherical lenses. The results of which not only proved very interesting but had direct implications in practice.
This is but an example, your idea for consideration could be related to any aspect of practice in the role of DO or CLO that could fulfil the ABDO’s objectives.
