BCLA names Sarah Farrant as new president

Sarah Farrant has been named as the new president of the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA), succeeding Rakesh Kapoor.

The presidential handover was completed during the BCLA’s AGM on Wednesday 5 June. Farrant will serve a one-year term, followed by Byki Huntjens, currently the president-elect.

Farrant represents the UK as an ambassador for the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society and was previously on the council for the College of Optometrists for 12 years. She has also served as chair of the Somerset Local Optical Committee.

Farrant lectures across the UK and internationally and regularly teaches optometrists around the country.

On stepping into the president position, Farrant commented: “Having the chance to lead this wonderful association is a huge honour and I am really looking forward to rolling my sleeves up and getting stuck in over the next 12 months.”

“I am fortunate to be serving as president at what is an incredibly exciting time for the BCLA. The publication of the BCLA CLEAR Presbyopia papers gives us an opportunity to have a truly global impact on everyday practice,” Farrant continued.

She added: “The findings in this extensive research will help shape the way optometrists around the world treat presbyopic patients and will influence future technologies to treat this every-growing condition.”

The BCLA recognised Farrant’s “instrumental” role in local and national initiatives to improve access to education in the profession, as well as patient access to eye care.

Thanking members for their support during his tenure, outgoing president, Kapoor, shared: “Serving as BCLA president has undoubtedly been one of the biggest privileges of my career and I am delighted to be handing over the reins to someone as highly regarded as Sarah, who will continue our work to cement the BCLA’s position as a global leader in contact lenses and the anterior eye.”