After celebrating 30 years in the optics profession earlier this year, Michael Offord has won the award for national optometrist of the year at the Association of Optometrists' (AOP) awards ceremony on November 3.
Offord was judged by a panel to have contributed the most to the promotion and expansion of the role of optometry, bringing it to the attention of a wider audience.
On his award, Offord said: 'I am absolutely delighted to be honoured and recognised in this way, and so grateful to those who nominated me and most of all to those that voted for me.' Offord works at his own independent practice in Kingston Park, Newcastle, said to have a client base of over 10,000 patients.
Offord is pictured second from left with AOP chief executive Bob Hughes (far left), Andrew Yorke, director at Topcon and David Shannon, AOP chairman (far right).