Coopervision student summit: Researchers of the future

As the standard of each finalist for the 2016 CooperVision Student of the Year was exceptionally high, and the voting excitingly close, we have decided this year that each merits the spotlight and will are publishing a report on each over the coming Contact Lens Monthly issues. This month we look at the finalist from Anglia Ruskin.

Finalist – Max Clemens

Project – Inter-observer agreement of soft contact lens fit assessment

Supervisor – Dr Marta Vianya, Dr Yvonne Norgett, Robert Conway

A clinical grading system, such as that described by Bailey et al,¹ uses a percentage scoring to describe changes sensitively. However, inter-user variation is likely to be significant and perhaps therefore problematic. A more simplified three-point scaling system, as proposed by Wolffsohn,² is likely to show good concordance but might not adequately reflect changes on eye. Added to this, some studies have shown that the experience of the practitioner is an influence upon grading accuracy,³ and others have recommended an objective approach as more useful.⁴