About us

Eduardo Teixeira is a clinical Optometrist since July 2001 and he teaches at Beira Interior University as Assistant Lecturer in Optometry since September 2016. He was Inaugural Trustee from EAOO Board in 2009 and he is involved in the regulation of optometry in Portugal and the legal framework for optometrists in the Portuguese NHS and was President of the Board of Association of Licensed Optometrists (APLO) between 2004 and 2012. He is was the first Portuguese Optometrist to integrate an official health national organization, as member of the first Advisory Board of Entidade Reguladora da Saúde (ERS). He was also member of ECOO Professional Services Committee from May 2011 to May 2012. He study Optometry, Optics and Applied Physics in Beira Interior University, Covilhã, Portugal where he concludes is BsC Degree and his Advanced Optometry MSc Degree in Minho University, Braga Portugal. Eduardo is the current President of EAOO.

Mr. Nicholas Rumney is currently in a full-scope, award-winning practice in Hereford. A 3rd-generation optometrist, he graduated from Cardiff, did his pre-reg year at Bristol Eye Hospital, and completed an MSc in low vision in Melbourne. He was a Professional Qualifying and Fellowship examiner and was one of a handful of College of Optometrists members to complete the Fellowship by examination. He has been a FAAO since 1995. Recognizing that a stimulus was needed to encourage an interest in optometric therapeutics, Nick was instrumental in bringing Lou Catania from the US to the UK for a multi-center roadshow that was seen by over 700 optometrists. He was also a founding partner in the educational group “Optometric Educators” in 1997. Mr. Rumney was part of the GOC team that developed the regulations underpinning Specialist Therapeutic registration, and in 2012 he qualified as an independent prescriber. His practice is the only one in the UK dually registered for Investors in People (Gold) and ISO 9000, and was the first in the UK to introduce 3D-OCT. Mr. Rumney regularly presents on this technology at conferences. In 2011, Mr. Rumney became co-supervisor for the first optometry practice to be granted a Knowledge Transfer Partnership, sharing a 3-year PhD research student with Aston University. A new KTP project started in July 2015. Nick is one of a handful of optometrists to be awarded honorary Fellowship of the Association of British Dispensing Opticians Mr. Rumney has served on many National and International committees, including the General Optical Council (GOC), where he was a member of the Audit, Education and Investigation Committees and was the first optometrist to chair Standards. In 2008 he was appointed to the AAO Fellowship International Admissions Committee, and in 2013 was promoted to chair the International region. He recently stood down as clinical conference coordinator for the British Contact Lens Association and chaired the UK National Committee of Optometry Giving Sight until October 2016. In November 2016 he was awarded the Philip Cole prize for in practice research by the College of Optometrists.

Dr. Mireia Pacheco-Cutillas is a senior lecturer in Optometry at the Department of Optics and Optometry (FOOT) at the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya. She qualified as registered optometrist in 1986 and obtained a Master of Science in Clinical Optometry from Pennsylvania College of Optometry, USA in 1995 and her PhD was completed in 2004 at City University, London. Her research interests are on the areas of Peadiatrics, Binocular Vision, Colour Vision, Glaucoma, Motion Detection and Ageing. Mireia is a Fellow of the European Academy and held a Fellowship of the American Academy of Optometry (1996 – 2009) and was a member of the College of Optometrists (UK) from 1998-2002. Mireia is currently the President of the European Academy of Optometry and Optics.

Dr. Rob Hogan is a Past-President of the College of Optometrists and is a co-opted member of its Board. Rob has also recently stepped down after spending 8 years as a Member of the General Optical Council – the UK’s Optics Regulator. Rob is Chairman of the UK’s Directorate of Continuing Education and Training (DOCET). He is also the College’s nominee to the EAOO. Rob owns his own Consultancy, iCare Consulting Ltd, providing Clinical, Technical, Strategic, Commercial, Managerial and Professional Services and Advice to the Optical Sector.

In 1981 Mrs. Stankova graduated as an ophthalmic optician from the Technical School of Fine Mechanics and Optics “Mikhail Lomonosov” in Sofia. She passed many trainings in abroad and the extensive training in 2015-2016 she got certified as “Kontaktlinsenspezialist / in (FH) Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena – University of Applied Sciences, Fachbereich SciTec – Studiengang Augenoptik / Optometrie. At present Mrs. Stankova works in hers own company Eurooptic in activities such as personal adviser for visual problems and getting spectacles and Contact lenses. In 2009, Mrs.Stankova managed to obtain a state license for opening private Vocational training center for teaching Opticians in Dispensing optics and CETs.In addition, she has been involved with the professional and educational policy related to optics and optometry for over 15 years now at local and international level. As a President of the NABOO /National Association of Bulgarian Optometrists and Opticians/2005-2009/, Mrs. Stankova took the initiative to change the status of the profession of opticians in Bulgaria from the sector of craftsmanship to a status of healthcare. During the two mandates she managed to earn significant experience in the area of negotiations with the local government. She was also the initiator of the project Optometry in Bulgaria which began in 2004.During the year 2006 Mrs. Stankova was elected as a member of the Educational committee (2006 – 2008) of ECOO. In 2008 she was elected as a member of the Professional service committee of ECOO for a mandate of 2 years. From 2009 she has been a founder member of the EAOO. Since 2016 for its contribution to Bulgarian optometry she was announced as honored member of the Bulgarian Union of Optometrists.

Fiona qualified as a registered Dispensing Optician in August 1986. Fiona worked for an independent group in the north east of Scotland for 25 years & held various roles within the organisation: initially she was a Practice Manager, then an Area Manager & on leaving the group their Training Manager. After 2 very rewarding years as a locum, Fiona joined Ythan Opticians, in June 2012 as Retail & Dispensing Director. The practice is in the commuter town of Ellon, north of Aberdeen in Scotland. Fiona’s main interests in practice are spectacle lenses, quality dispensing, paediatrics & customer service. In addition to her time in practice Fiona is a theory & practical examiner for ABDO, a workshop support lecturer for ABDO College and writes and delivers continuing education & training (CET) for ABDO both in the UK & abroad & for the NHS in Scotland. She has also presented at EAOO. She has also recently been appointed as a Theory Examiner for the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers with responsibility for writing 2 theory exams for the newly accredited Level 4 Diploma for Optical Assistants. Professional Positions held: ABDO Immediate Past President, Advisor to the ABDO Board, President International Opticians Association, Optical Confederation Chairman, Optometry Scotland Council Member, Grampian AOC Observer, Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers Liveryman & Fellow of the European Academy of Optometry & Optics.

Degree in Optics and Optometry with honours University of Santiago de Compostela.He got the 3rd. Extraordinary Prize in the fields of Optics and Optometry awarded to the best students of Spain in that field. PhD Degree at the University of Minho (Braga, Portugal) conducted between the University of Minho, Santiago de Compostela and University of Valencia, with a Pre-doctoral grant from the Fundaçao para a Ciência e Tecnologia of Portugal. Currently he is a Full professor at the Physics Department atr Universidade do Minho. Director of the Physics Department and Director of the PhD Program in Optometry and Vision Science. Has been Director of the Master in Advanced Optometry between 2008 and 2010 and Vice-dean of the School of Sciences for Academic affairs between 2013 and 2016. Principal investigator in several FCT projects. 136 papers published in scientific journals indexed by the Institute for Science information (ISI), Web of Science (WoS).200 Posters. 250 oral communications, 120 lectures as invited speaker, 15 keynote speaker, authored over 20 book chapters and 3 books edited and co-edited. Founder and coordinator of the Clinical experimental Optometry Research Lab (CEORLab), University of Minho. Vice-dean of the School of Sciences at the Unioversity of Minho between 2013 and 2016 and head of the Department since 2017. Editor Chief for Journal of Optometry indexed in Pubmed Central, (Peer-review journal of the Spanish General Council of Optometry) since 2010 and member of the editorial board of Biomedical Reseach International and Academic Editor of PLOS ONE. Awarded with the International Optometrist of the Year, Polythecnic University of Catalonia, Terrasa, Spain in 2016.

Elaine Grisdale FBDO FAAO is ABDO’s Head of Professional Services and International Development. She qualified as a dispensing optician in 1985. Between 1989 and 2001 Elaine worked in France, where she was International Professional Relations Manager for Opticianry and Optometry for Essilor International liaising with professional bodies, vision scientists and academic institutions worldwide. In 1998 she was instrumental in creating Varilux University, the first international training centre dedicated to presbyopia and the ageing eye. Since 2007 she has been Head of Professional Services and International Development for the Association of British Dispensing Opticians. Her role entails promoting and developing CET events, managing the annual conference, Advice and Guidance to member professionals, liaising with optical bodies in the UK and abroad and developing ABDO activities internationally. She is past principal examiner in professional conduct for ABDO. She sits on many professional committees in the UK. In her long career Elaine has lectured on every continent . She has written many articles published in professional journals, been involved in writing teaching CD programmes and e-learning programmes and she had a book published in Mandarin co-written with Prof Irvin M. Borish. Due to her vast experience and fluent French, Elaine sits on the Jury Verres for the Silmo d’Or and is a Scientific Committee Member for the Silmo Academy. She has school level Spanish and is actively learning Mandarin. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and A Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers.