About

Barbara Ryan spent her early optometric career in the Hospital Eye Service in Oxford, Nigeria and Birmingham. In 1996, Barbara moved to London and became the first optometrist to work for the national charity, RNIB.

Barbara has been involved in undergraduate optometric clinical teaching in Aston, Bradford and Cardiff Universities. Barbara practises one day a week in Monmouth, is an Examiner for the College of Optometrists and Clinical Lead for the Welsh Low Vision Service.

Prior to becoming Director of WOPEC, Barbara was an Accreditation and Evaluation Manager for the Welsh Eye Care Initiative (2003 to 2008). Together with Nik Sheen she was responsible for providing all the training, accreditation and re-accreditation for optometrists in Wales who provide the Primary Eyecare Acute Referral Scheme (PEARS), the Welsh Eye Health Examination (WEHE) and the Welsh Low Vision Service.

After passing the College of Optometrists pre-qualifying examinations Nik Sheen worked as an optometrist in independent and multiple practices for 3 years before studying full-time at Bristol Eye Hospital for a MSc in Clinical Ophthalmology and Optometry.

Thereafter, he completed a PhD at Cardiff University investigating stereoscopic techniques in the diagnosis of glaucoma. He now works as a part-time lecturer in Optometric Investigative Techniques at Cardiff University. He is also an Examiner for the College of Optometrists, an expert witness in Fitness to Practice cases, a member of the GOC education committee and a self-employed locum optometrist.

Prior to becoming Director of WOPEC, Nik was an Accreditation and Evaluation Manager for the Welsh Eye Care Initiative (2003 to 2008). Together with Barbara Ryan he was responsible for providing all the training, accreditation and re-accreditation for optometrists in Wales who provide the Primary Eyecare Acute Referral Scheme (PEARS), the Welsh Eye Health Examination (WEHE) and the Welsh Low Vision Service.

Chris graduated in 1991, and spent her early career in a variety of clinical roles including private practice, part-time teaching, and specialist contact lens and low vision practice. Chris returned to academic life in 2001, and was awarded her PhD in 2005.

She is a member the College of Optometrists (UK), and a Fellow of both IACLE and the BCLA, and a recipient of the Irving Fatt Memorial Award for her work in anterior eye research. Chris has authored several scientific papers and professional articles, and has presented to both national and international audiences.

Chris is a senior lecturer within the School of Optometry & Vision Sciences at Cardiff University, concentrating on the areas of contact lenses and ocular surface, combining clinical work with her teaching and research. She was appointed to direct the MSc programme in 2010, and is a nominee for AOP lecturer of the Year 2011.

After a pre-registration year in Birmingham Eye Hospital Keith Pearce became a self-employed optometrist working in a small partnership in two Victorian house practices in the South-West. He passed the Diploma in Contact Lens Practise in 1981 and became a member of the BCLA.

  He has been an active member of Avon LOC since 1980 and Wiltshire LOC since 2000 and over this time he has developed close working relationships with a number of PCTs. Keith has helped local PCTs develop referral pathways for Cataract referral since 2000 and more recently a rapid referral system for Wet AMD. Since the publication of the NICE guidelines on glaucoma he has been working with local PCTs to put in place the LOC SU Glaucoma Referral Refinement and Ocular Hypertension monitoring processes.

 Keith has been a Lead assessor for LOC SU since December 2009, organising a number of accreditation and training sessions and in November 2010 became a part time tutor for WOPEC.

Sasha graduated from Cardiff University in 1994. She achieved her qualifying exams and continued to practice for 7 years in a large multiple opticians in Cardiff city centre.

For the last 8 years she has been a self employed optometrist, working in various independent and multiple practices throughout South Wales. She is accredited for WEHE & PEARS, low vision and glaucoma refinement. She is currently studying for her Masters in Clinical Optometry.

In addition to working as a locum, Sasha supervises the undergraduate clinics at the University and is a WOPEC Tutor responsible for all aspects of postgraduate training and development.