| According to Surridge, “There are many parallels between optics and audiology and having spent almost 20 years in the former at SightCare, I recognize that more can be done to promote the optical/hearing care agenda. The two manufacturing organizations have a lot to contribute to the debate.”The meeting was held at FMO offices in London and covered a wide agenda. Optrafair and the possibility of audiology having a greater presence at the event was a key topic with both sides agreeing to explore opportunities to reflect the closeness of the sectors.
“Optrafair is an excellent event and the FMO has innovative plans for its future. We’ll be keen to see how those plans evolve and if BIHIMA members and audiologists could be encouraged to attend in greater numbers,” said Surridge.
Recent studies have laid bare the number of people in Europe that suffer from undiagnosed hearing loss; a recent report from Hear-It.org highlighted that over 3 million people in the UK live with an untreated hearing loss, which costs the economy an estimated £25.5 billion (USD $28.17 billion) a year. Similarly, partial sight loss affects around 2 million people in the UK, and this is expected to rise to 2.4 million by 2024, according to Vision UK.
Stuart Burn concluded, “We had a very productive meeting with Paul, whom I’ve known for many years during his time at SightCare. The two professions, optics and hearing, have similar goals and we are keen to explore how the two manufacturing organizations could collaborate to raise awareness of sight loss and hearing loss in the future. The FMO is currently reviewing its program of activity, and working with BIHIMA on joint projects seems an obvious fit.”
Source: BIHIMA, FMO
Images: BIHIMA, FMO |
