FORCE (Future Ocular Research Creativity Event)was a competition that had every element that goes to make a high profile knowledge evaluation exercise, the sponsor was among the biggest names in contact lens and visual aids and it was a national competition which would propel the winner into the highly charged world of European optometry. Students of the Elite School of Optometry known for their capacity to pull up their socks in short notice and prove their mettle, rose admirably to the occasion, reiterating beyond all doubt that they are indeed a ‘Force’ to reckon with in their field!

We take pleasure in sharing a spirited,step by step, first person account of the competition and how Jude Remedios Menezes the star performer from the ESO made his way to the European Finals at Budapest, Hungary.

The National round of the cooper vision force presentation was held on 2th of March, 2018 at the Orchid Hotel in Mumbai. A team of 5 Members, namely, Akshara, P Gaurav, PoojaNandagopal, VivekSuganthan R and Jude R Menezes represented the Elite School of Optometry at this prestigious, First of its Kind National Contest. This team was accompanied by its mentor and guide, Dr Rajeshwari M – The contact Lens stalwart faculty from ESO.

This Contest required from the participating students, a presentation of a Research Study, Case Report or a Review article to be judged by a team of three well renowned clinicians in the field.

In the preparatory stages, Dr JameelRizwana, Dr Viswanathan, Ms Rinu Thomas and Mr Asif Iqbal played a significant role in addition to the core Guidance from Dr Rajeswari in mentoring of the participating students who worked hard to streamline their presentation slides and skills within the time constraints that this contest had demanded.

After a week of intense study and practice the team was flown to Mumbai in the early hours of the day of the presentation and delivered their best.

Gaurav presented his research results on the “Impact of introducing Comfilcon A spherical soft contact lens at a tertiary eye care centre- A retrospective Review( 2015-2018)”, Akshara presented a Case Series on “ comparison of subjects with RGP and soft torric contact lenses”, Vivek and Pooja teamed up to present a review on “Toric Soft Lens Stabilization: Is it Stabalized? ” and finally Jude presented  a review on the “Success of the soft contact lens market: How new techniques, Tests and Instruments can help?”.

The results couldn’t have been more in consistence with the quality of the presentation, with the Elite School stealing bragging rights with the best presentations of the Day.

Jude’s Presentation made him the country winner and won him a ticket to Budapest, Hungary to compete for the title ‘European FORCE winner- 2018’ at the International Cooper vision Future Ocular Research Creativity Event(FORCE).

All in all, right from the very start, the trip proved to be a memorable experience for the students and provided them with a rare exposure to presentation at a professional level, boosting their self-confidence and enhancing their exposure to the soft contact lens industry.

The students and their mentors take this opportunity to thank the management of SankaraNethralaya for this rare opportunity of participating in a high level competition and for their constant encouragement and support

The Sankara Nethralaya family expresses its hearties congratulations to the ESO team consisting of the participating students and their mentors for keeping the SN flag flying high and conveys its very best wishes to Jude Remedios Menezes in his single minded pursuit towards winning the  ‘European Force winner – 2018’