Nicola’s Visit to 100% Optical Trade Show – London

With Covid taking over our lives for so long it was nice to have a little bit of normality again with the return of 100% Optical, our industry’s biggest UK trade show.

Held at the Xcel, London, it housed over 200 exhibitors and welcomed nearly 10,000 guests from all over the UK and the world.

It was a great opportunity to see new frames maybe from designers we wouldn’t normally look at, view equipment and meet up with colleagues and friends.

Being an independent practice can sometimes be a bit daunting. It’s nice to meet up with other independent practice owners like Lynne Evans and Jaclyn Pugh of The Optical People in Chepstow to share thoughts and ideas and discover the show’s many stands with.

Needless to say that far too many new frames were bought and have already arrived in practice! I do have a glasses addiction as regular patients to our practice already know!

As well as new frames we also found about new spectacle lens technology. The most exciting I thought was from Essilor who have launched Xtra Active Transitions in Polarised!! They are clear inside and activate to polarised outside with the amount of polarisation increasing with the tint darkness! Being XtraActive they also work behind the car windscreen! Flipping magic if you ask me!

I’m hoping Covid stays at bay so I can enjoy many more trade shows to come!