Media spokespeople: meet the experts
Our team of eye health experts and historians are on hand to help with media enquiries and are happy to speak via email or on the phone. They are experienced in speaking across all media platforms and make regular television appearances.

Daniel Hardiman-McCartney MBE FCOptom, Higher Cert Glauc

Daniel divides his time between his work at the College, primary care optometry and community glaucoma clinics in East Anglia. He provides trusted advice, guidance and opinion to industry, regulators, governments and NHS systems across the UK. Daniel helped lead the eye care sector’s response to the pandemic and has made many national media appearances discussing the importance of good eye health and the vital role of optometry in primary care.

Denise Voon MCOptom, Prof Cert Med Ret

Denise has spent most of her career in the hospital eye service as a principal optometrist and is currently an optometric adviser to the GOC and domiciliary optometrist in addition to her role at the College. She is particularly interested in medical retina, specifically age-related macular degeneration and producing resources to help support people effected by visual impairment to maintain their independence.

Dr Paramdeep Bilkhu MCOptom, DipTp(IP)

As well as his work at the College, Paramdeep works in primary care practice and urgent eye care services as a therapeutic optometrist in the West Midlands. He also holds a visiting Research Fellowship at Aston University. He is our independent prescribing lead adviser, Clinical Management Guidelines writing team member, leads our myopia management guidance and evidence review and is one of our expert spokespeople.

Dr Neil Handley PhD, AMA, FRSA

Neil is recognised as one the UK’s principal historians of spectacles, vision aids and opticians. He has been curator of the British Optical Association Museum at the College since 1998 and is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers.
He has been awarded the medal of the Ocular Heritage Society of America on several occasions. Neil can advise on historic optical items, including their identification and dating.