History was on the minds of many during the 2025 Optical Dispensers Australia (ODA) International Conference in Sydney.
As the event kicked off, Cyclone Alfred, the biggest storm to hit Queensland and northern New South Wales in decades, was making landfall and prevented about 20 people from making the trip south to the InterContinental Sydney on 7-8 March.
But the show went on, and did so in record-setting fashion, according to ODA CEO Ms April Petrusma’s introduction during the first day and the event gala later that evening.
She told those gathered that, in its third year, ODA was delivering the biggest event ever to celebrate optical dispensing in Australia, with more than 300 people at its gala.
They were also celebrating a record number of graduates, with 239 having completed the Australasian College of Optical Dispensing (ACOD) Certificate IV in Optical Dispensing course in 2024, and another 45 in New Zealand.
That and the louder voice of ODA were huge successes for not only the industry but also the organisation, said Petrusma.
“We are three years old now,” she said, “and the feedback received . . . is that we’ve really made some waves.”
Those waves had been felt beyond Australian shores.
As well as advocating for optical dispensers, organising conferences, webinars, lens lab tours, and hands-on workshops, ODA had facilitated important outreach work.
In July 2024, Petrusma and 12 eyecare professionals “provided vision screening, eye education and free glasses to isolated communities in the Fiji Islands”.
“We screened more than 1,300 people and dispensed more than 400 pairs of glasses,” she said, highlighting a silent auction to raise funds for its next volunteer project.
“As an optical dispenser you play a crucial role in shaping the visual outcomes of every single person that you serve,” she said.
Post-event, Petrusma told Insight “the level of engagement from across the industry and success of the conference highlights ODA’s important role in driving progress within our field”.
“In an unregulated profession, it was extremely encouraging to see a full room of delegates, all there to learn and nurture their own professional development.”
She said the two-day program provided an “invaluable opportunity” to connect with global industry leaders, whilst learning about the latest technologies and advancements in optical dispensing.
Dispensers will never have ‘crisis of conscience’
History was also top of mind for the gala event’s keynote speaker, George & Matilda Eyecare founder, CEO and managing director Mr Chris Beer.
He told the graduates that they would never have a day in their working profession when they would experience a “crisis of conscience and feel like you don’t have a purpose”.
“It’s about making a real difference in people’s lives with every pair of glasses that you fit. It’s a privilege to do what we do every day.”
But much had changed in the 40 years since he had started in the industry as an optical dispenser and mechanic.
And more was to come.
“The one thing I can tell everyone in this room today is that the changes over the last 40 years that I’ve seen will seem like a mere blink of an eye compared with what’s coming now,” he said.
“We are living in the most exciting, transformative period of human history. Embrace it, jump on board and come along for the ride.”
He left the audience with a couple of thoughts: “Always say ‘yes’ to every opportunity that presents itself – you are always better off being a generalist than a specialist; and always give back more than you take.”
Advice from around the globe
If Beer was keen to promote a diversity of skills and knowledge, there was plenty on offer from the international speakers at the two-day event, with experts from Germany, Fiji, Scotland, and France, as well as around Australasia.
And due to the cyclone and the absence of one of the Queensland speakers, Petrusma organised an expert panel for a Q&A session, thought to be an Australian first. Panellists represented all major lens suppliers in Australia, giving the audience a rare opportunity to ask questions and learn from all the major suppliers in one place.
The main education program kicked off with an update on myopia.
Professor Padmaja Sankaridurg, the head of global myopia management at ZEISS Vision Care, told those attending that the most recent research suggested eyecare professionals were likely to get a lot busier in the coming years.
The prevalence of myopia in adults currently was much less than that in children, she said. But that was likely to change significantly in the next two decades, with today’s large number of myopic children becoming myopic adults and prevalence in children likely to rise, with recent evidence indicating that in China alone, prevalence in those aged 0-19 was tipped to hit 60% by 2030.
That was why there was a growing focus on stopping young children from becoming myopes in the first place, with China setting a number of targets and health authorities in the US looking to declare myopia as a disease, to allow more options and support from policy-makers and other related bodies.
Prof Sankaridurg said the burden of myopia had become “quite substantial” and would only increase in future.
She said recent work had focused on young and pre-myopic children. Whilst research had promoted outdoor activity, recent pilot trials also considered the positives of reducing near work .
Additionally, studies had also shown that atropine could have a greater effect than outdoor time but that there was “bounce” in the myopia when that ended. More recent efforts include use of myopia control spectacles, which appear to show promise and might be a sound strategy in young children.
In those that are already myopic, many treatments are available and include spectacles, soft lenses, orthok, atropine and red-light therapy, but she urged all to consider strategies when the patient was young and pre-myopic – “that’s the age when we can get more bang for our buck”.
Passion, flair and design were the focuses for Ms Claire Ferreira.
The eyewear frame designer for global luxury brands Face á Face, WOOW and Alium, and co-artistic director at the Design Eyewear Group, took the audience through the design process.
The French designer said the creative workload was driven by the show calendar and a year-long process of design, development and hand-made manufacturing to bring a frame to the market.
Face á Face takes design inspiration from art – “keeping our eyes and mind wide open, even on the our days off”; Paris – “a way to express our creative position”; Createur – shape and sculpture, “building models based on ideas”; the Signature – “the art of detail”; and, of course, colour.
It was about spontaneity and innovation. “If you have a blank sheet of paper thinking I have to de-sign something great, nothing will come. But then if you start to look around, to have fun, share, draw, relax and catch the spontaneity to generate ideas, that’s the secret. You have to unplug to be able to plug in again.”
Mr Ulli Hentschel, optical dispenser and Hoya Lens Australia’s national training and development manager, said there were great opportunities for practices that embraced the Gen X and Y generations.
He said those born between 1980 and 1994 were already Australia’s largest population group and were set to be its biggest consumer cohort by 2030.
Many of them were in their late-30s to early-40s and starting to show symptoms of presbyopia, including eye fatigue, eye strain, and headaches.
They were a “tidal wave about to come into your stores”.
People of this generation had embraced the “Experience Economy,” he said; they valued travel, work-life balance and self-improvement.
“Vision care is increasingly viewed as part of a holistic approach to health, with wellbeing being especially important.”
But there was a lack of solutions for young presbyopes resistant to progressive lenses because of price, design and positioning.
That’s why Hoya had created the VisuPro lens, available from April 2025, which was targeted as a “bridge” from single vision to progressive lens where the pricing can be significantly higher.
In an entertaining presentation during which attendees were sent to the four corners of the room as Doves, Owls, Peacocks or Eagles, Ms Virgilia Readett discussed how optical dispensers could use behavioural profiling in their practices.
The optical dispenser and senior ACOD trainer and assessor said that identifying the different birds among customers could encourage productive conversations, help with successful sales, and reduce trouble spots with clients.
It was all about D.O.P.E.
People were either Doves, who liked to listen rather than talk and put welfare first; Owls, who were logical, analytical and sought structure and predictability; Peacocks, who were charismatic, animated, sought popularity and liked to talk rather than listen; or Eagles – confident, ambitious people who liked a challenge, power and authority, and put results before feelings.
Each had different traits and recognising and understanding these in customers – and team members – could make a practice more efficient and successful. It could also encourage referrals.
Scottish paediatric dispensing optician Ms Fiona Anderson had plenty of good ideas to help eyecare professionals deal with the ‘blur’ that can be active young patients.
She said they could be a real challenge – “they move about and wriggle” – but their entourage – “mum, dad, gran, big sister, sometimes the dog” – could be just as challenging.
She offered some advice, including:
• Remember that a child’s anatomy and their head is a different ratio to that of the parents.
• Children can’t always explain and you may have to pick up on cues and body language.
• Give the child your full attention. Encourage them to give their opinion or point of view. Listen to them and respond appropriately. And don’t expect too much – their attention span will be shorter than yours.
• You have to like children, which can be quite difficult sometimes. “They are like animals and can sense if you don’t like them.”
• Make your practice as welcoming as possible for children.
• Adopt the shoe shop mentality – measure first and then bring what fits. “If you let children choose shoes they will pick the most inappropriate ones.”
Anderson said parents were often upset to find their child needed glasses, so “the more information you can give the parents at the beginning, the less shock it will be later if there are changes in future, including prescription changes”.
Did you know that Pantone’s official Colour of 2025 is Mocha Mousse?
That was one of the insights from Ms Shiva Taghvaei, optical dispenser and senior commercial manager at Safilo Australia, during her presentation on using data and psychology to decode frames.
She said that Safilo, as part of its extensive design process for any new frames, worked with leading forecasting agencies like Pantone to get a better picture of trends in fashion and colour.
The company also leveraged its five Global Design Hubs—Padua, Milan, New York, Hong Kong, and Portland—bringing together 150 designers who create over 3,000 new models annually, blending global creativity with local expertise. The company also used advanced data analytics to track consumer behaviour.
Optical dispensers could also use data, she said, in combination with their own observations and insights, to help drive sales in their practices.
“Know the brands, know your customer, understand their lifestyle, age group and preferences; link them to the right brand story.”
Research showed that 51% of customers chose their frames based on information from sales staff (30% for sunglasses), and 40% from the in-store displays (60%). Just 20% made a decision based on what was in the shop window (26% for sunglasses).
The four key things driving choice were professional recommendations, fashion and personal identity, pricing and value, and social influencers and celebrity endorsements.”
ODA Excellence Awards winners
Rookie of the Year Award: Rhian Hobbs, Wills Street Eyecare in Bendigo, Victoria.
CEO’s Member Dedication Award: Keren Peet, 20/20 Sight and Style Optometrists in Mornington, Victoria.
Outstanding Practice Owner Award: Barry Telfer, Angelo Street Optical in South Perth, Western Australia.
Role Model and Leadership Award: Rayleen Tamblyn, ACOD and Specsavers in Erina, New South Wales.
Community Champion Award: Lyn Simeon, Teachers Health Centre in Parramatta, New South Wales.
ODA National Medal for Optical Dispensing Excellence: Dominique Jorgensen, The University of Western Australia Optometry and Vision Science School.
More reading
April Petrusma’s 2025 industry predictions
ODA members deliver grins as well as glasses during Fiji trip
ODA Gala 2024 – highlights from optical dispensing’s night of nights
