My name is Sara and I am 25 years old. Last year I won the European Force competition. I never expected to win but this victory was has given me the greatest satisfaction I have so far achieved in my career and is one which I will always remember.
What was Force for me? I will try to express it in a few words: the Force competition is a unique experience that enables optometry students from all over Europe to come together. How many other, similar opportunities have you heard of? I guess not many.
Through Force, we had the opportunity to gain visibility for our research and for ourselves. A photo of all the national winners at last year’s final appeared in a magazine distributed to opticians all over my country, and in other publications across Europe.
Force also allowed us to compare experiences, learn about techniques and teaching methods at other universities, and make new friends all over the world. I am still in touch with the finalists today.
All the projects presented last year were very competitive, with a very high level of content. The Force final, besides being a competition, is also informative from the point of view of how contact lenses are made. During the weekend of the final we took a tour of CooperVision’s Budapest manufacturing facility. Trust me, it is really amazing.
Research role
What has Force meant for me and what have I done since winning? After the final, I was awarded a scholarship at the University Center for Research in Optics and Optometry of Milano-Bicocca (COMiB) in Milan, to continue my study of contact lens polymers and their effects on the tear film. COMiB coordinates and develops research in optics, optometry and vision-related fields, thanks to the contribution of experts with different skills.
The activities of the centre are divided into four areas: optometry and contact lenses, vision care, material science and education. The area in which I am personally involved is material science. Our main interest is characterising contact lens material properties by microscopy, photon correlation spectroscopy and a technique called zeta potential, as well as the analysis of lens care solutions.
Other areas of study are interaction between contact lenses and cellular models and the effects on ocular physiology, and imaging for applications in optometry and ophthalmology.
Over the past year, along with the team at Milano-Bicocca, I have had three papers published in peer-reviewed journals, including our study of polymer interaction with eyeshadow in soft contact lenses that I presented as my Force project (with some of the data contributed by my fellow student Alessandra Rossi). Two more articles will be published in the coming months.
As well as my research role, I also had a part-time job in an optical store. This gave me the chance to improve my competences and understand the needs of patients, both from a contact lens and an optometric perspective.
Sara is congratulated by her peers on winning the 2017 Force final
The Force experience has increased my desire to dedicate myself to the world of contact lenses, from the point of view of both research and prescribing. In future I would like to work in an international contact lens company such as CooperVision, as a product specialist or in a research and development area.
Centre stage
The most amazing experience of the past year came in March when, as winner of Force, I had the opportunity to take part in the Dutch Contact Lens Congress (Nederlands Contactlens Congress, NCC). This event is now the largest contact lens meeting in Europe. The congress was a huge success with more than 1,800 participants and 33 paper presentations from more than 20 countries.
Among the topics covered were new contact lens technologies, such as electronic lenses that, in future, could allow monitoring of diabetes or glaucoma, and provide information about contact lens replacement. Other key themes were myopia control, presbyopia and multifocal lenses. Attention was also focused on contact lens application and ocular health.
All of these topics, and many others, were presented and discussed by leading authorities from all around the world. For me, it was a very educational experience. And you cannot imagine what an exciting moment it was for me to speak at the NCC myself, presenting the winning study of Force 2017.
So this has been my experience of winning CooperVision Force Student of the Year. Now it is time for this year’s participants to live their amazing Force journeys.
For more information on Force (Future Ocular Research Creativity Event) visit www.coopervision-Force.com. A report of the Force Student of the Year 2018 final will appear next month.