The United Kingdom and Ireland Society of Ophthalmic Professionals was established in 2010 by the council of the United Kingdom & Ireland Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons, a not-for-profit making organisation founded in 1976 for the training & education of doctors in cataract and refractive surgery.

UKISOP was founded for all (non-medical) health professionals allied to Ophthalmology. We offer an annual programme of lectures and hands on workshops which is associated with the UKISCRS general meeting each autumn. Attendance at this event provides educational and networking opportunities and the added chance to join the gala dinner and entertainment during the evening of the main meeting.

Previous programmes have included a wide variety of theory based lectures from eminent speakers within the Ophthalmic fraternity. We compliment this with hand on workshops in which delegates can handle equipment and start the journey of learning new clinical skills. At the 2019 & 2021 meeting we were proud to offer a very successful cataract wet lab to our delegates, supported by Bausch+Lomb.

In 2021 UKISOP developed a series of monthly webinars to support members during the COVID-19 recovery period.  The webinars were intended to provide evidence for CPD portfolios and professional revalidation, and encourage people to become members of the UKISOP / UKISCRS family.

Membership Benefits - Become a member here

• Free workshop attendance (place held with a refundable deposit) at UKISOP meetings & webinars
• Reduced registration fees at UKISCRS meetings
• Networking opportunities
• Evidence for professional portfolio and revalidation purposes
• Opportunity to contribute articles to the Allied Health Professions section of the “Eyenews”
• Poster presentation submission

The UKISOP faculty is derived from representatives of each of the stakeholder professions allied to ophthalmology. These include Orthoptists, Optometrists, Ophthalmic nurses, Ophthalmic technicians and Ophthalmic imagers with representation from an Ophthalmologist on the board of UKISCRS.

The current faculty members are:

UKISOP President:
Rebecca Turner
Consultant Nurse
Oxford Eye Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Email: Rebecca.turner@ouh.nhs.uk

Ophthalmic Nurse:
Jo Chalupka
Anterior Segment Nurse Coordinator
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Email: jo.chalupka@nhs.net

Orthoptists:
Liz Tomlin
Head Orthoptist & Eye Team lead
Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital London
Email: liz.tomlin@gstt.nhs.uk

Lyn Millbank (DOBA) (Aus)
(Retired) trainer and clinical support educator
Email: lynmillbank@gmail.com

Ophthalmic Technician:
Lyndon Bird
Clinical Technician
Tompkins Knight & Son Optometrists, Northampton
Email: lyndon@tks-optometrists.co.uk

Ophthalmic Science Practitioner
Will Kay
Imaging, Glaucoma, Cataract, & Oncology
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Email: william.kay@nhs.net

DO ECLO
Jayshree Vasani
Dispensing Optician
Whittington Hospital, London
Email: jayshreevasani1@googlemail.com

Co-Opted Member:
Dr. Lorraine North
Consultant Orthoptist
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
Email: lorraine.north@nhs.net

UKISCRS Society Manager
Gill Wood
Email: gillwood@ukiscrs.org.uk

     Rebecca Turner                         Gill Wood                          Liz Tomlin                               Lyn Millbank                                       Lyndon Bird