Trine Johnsen is a trained optometrist with over ten years’ experience in optometry practices, including five years running her own locum business. Trine knows her way around the eye care industry – not only in her home country of Norway, but also further afield. She obtained her master’s degree in optometry in Australia and has worked with universities in both Oslo and Valencia, looking at the effects of antioxidants on ocular inflammation, and growing corneal epithelium from limbal stem cells.

Trine’s passion for optometry and education led her to Specsavers more than fifteen years ago. She established the Professional Learning & Development department in the Nordic countries and the Specsavers Academy in Norway. Now, she’s Head of Professional Advancement in Norway, dedicated to building the professional reputation of Specsavers in particular, and the optometry industry in general – so that customers get high-quality eye care.

Tor Paaske Utheim is a professor with expertise in innovation, ophthalmology, biochemistry, and computer science, holding positions at several universities including the University of Oslo and King’s College London.

He serves as a consultant at six hospitals across Norway, where he also leads research and innovation initiatives. At Oslo University Hospital, Tor heads both the Unit of Regenerative Medicine and the Unit of Research-based Innovation. He co-founded the Norwegian Dry Eye Clinic and the Institute of Eye Health in Oslo. In 2012, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to Harvard Medical School and, in 2013, appointed as an Adjunct Clinical Associate.

He’s recognised with over twenty academic awards, including the Medinnova’s Innovation Award, the European Society of Ophthalmology Award for most promising Norwegian Young Clinician/Researcher (2012), the Oslo University Hospital Early Career Award for outstanding research, and the highest distinction awarded by the Norwegian Society of Ophthalmology; the Hjalmar Schiøtz award.

Tor has been ranked among Norway’s top scientists by publication points and has supervised 44 PhD students. He frequently moderates and speaks on various topics in ophthalmology. He represents Norway as a Global Ambassador for The Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society and is a board member of the International Ocular Surface Society.

Professor Bruce Evans is a community optometrist and Visiting Professor at City St George’s, University of London, London South Bank University, and University of Milano-Bicocca. From 1998-2023, he was Director of Research at the Institute of Optometry, and he’s a Fellow of College of Optometrists, American Academy of Optometry, European Academy of Optometry, and British Contact Lens Association.

He’s authored more than 275 scientific and professional papers, ten editions of optometric textbooks, over 145 presentations at scientific conferences, and over 250 invited CPD lectures. His main areas of research are myopia control, dyslexia and vision, orthoptics, children’s vision, headaches, contact lenses, and computer vision syndrome.

In 2022, he was awarded Life Fellow of the College of Optometrists in recognition of outstanding contribution to the optometric profession, and in 2023 a Lifetime Achievement Award of the Association of Optometrists.

Kine Høiby, an optometrist at Specsavers in Trondheim, has a keen interest in the topic of dry eyes. She’s recently obtained a master’s degree from the University of South-Eastern Norway, exploring age- and sex-related variations in meibomian gland dropout and clinical dry eye parameters among an asymptomatic sample. The study is part of an on-going research project conducted by the planned Norwegian Innovation Consortium for Advanced Tear Film Analyses (NICATA), consisting of Oslo University Hospital, Sørlandet Hospital Arendal, Oslo Metropolitan University and the Norwegian Dry Eye Clinic.

Kine obtained her bachelor’s degree from the University of South-Eastern Norway in 2020, and as a student member of the RETHOS project group (2018-2019), she was involved in developing guidelines for the Norwegian optometrist education.

Tone Marit Nagel is an optometrist at Specsavers in Larvik, interested in dry eye and eye diseases. She’s recently obtained a master’s degree, exploring screentime and meibomian gland dropout and screentime and clinical dry eye tests in asymptomatic persons. Her master’s degree is part of an on-going study conducted by the Norwegian Innovation Consortium for Advanced Tear Film Analysis (NICATA), consisting of Oslo University Hospital (OUS), Sørlandet Hospital, Oslo Metropolitan university and the Norwegian Dry Eye clinic.

Tone Marit obtained her bachelor’s degree from Kongsberg in 2008 and proceeded to complete a contact lens course in 2012.

Trond-Viggo Torgersen, a well-known Norwegian General Practitioner, TV host, author, and artist, combines his medical expertise and creative talent to deliver engaging health education to the public. Since 1975, Trond-Viggo has worked for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), and he’s particularly renowned for medical series like Halvsju, Kroppen, and Nesten voksen. A published author of several books, his 2021 book, The Mature Body, became a Norwegian bestseller. He occasionally works with Mari Garås Monsson, his co-speaker at the Clinical Conference, both on stage and in the radio.

Interested in communication and pedagogy, Trond-Viggo also teaches patient communication to medical students at the University of Bergen. From 1989 to 1995, he served as Norway’s Children’s Commissioner.

Mari Garås Monsson, a TV and radio host and journalist, specialises in presenting music, culture, and human-interest topics with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK). Curious of life and what lies within us, she strives to create encounters that truly matter, and she’s driven to produce engaging and diverse content for live broadcasting. Mari occasionally works with Trond-Viggo, her co-speaker at the Clinical Conference, both on stage and in the radio.

While she thrives in the excitement of the red broadcasting light, Mari’s also passionate about traveling, Norwegian nature, concerts and festivals, meaningful relationships, and the TV series “Der ingen skulle tru at nokon kunne bu.”

Richard Rui-Hangaas is a Norwegian optometrist and Professional Affairs Manager at CooperVision, where he plays a key role in driving clinical education and professional support across the Nordic region. With years of experience in optometric practice and the contact lens industry, Richard focuses on translating scientific research and product innovation into real-world clinical value.

He collaborates with practitioners through training sessions, presentations, and hands-on support to enhance patient care and optimise contact lens fitting. His approach emphasises both clinical precision and patient-centred care, making him a respected contributor to the development of best practices in modern optometry.

Elaine Corrigan is a Clinical Optometrist who graduated from Dublin’s Institute of Technology in Optometry in 2016. She worked in Specsavers Limerick and multiple independently owned practices, expanding her patient experience, before joining the Wellington Eye Clinic in Dublin in 2021. She has completed a variety of Professional Certificates through Cardiff University and the University of Sheffield including Medical Retina, Glaucoma and Refractive Surgery.

After undergoing LASIK surgery at the Wellington Eye Clinic in 2017, she was delighted to join their team to be able to help other people achieve life changing vision improvement. Elaine enjoys being able to closely collaborate with Ophthalmologists Mr. Arthur Cummings and Mr. Brendan Cummings and learn from their expertise. She has a passion for teaching and aims to expand the scope of knowledge for other Optometrists.

Oleg Pavlukovskis is the General Manager of ProCornea Spesiallinser. He graduated as an optician from HIBU in 2012 and has since developed his expertise, specialising in lenses in 2013 and completing a course on dry eyes in 2015.

Oleg has attended courses in Norway and abroad to enhance his knowledge of special lenses, dietary supplements, and treatment of dry eyes. Since 2016, he has been part of ProCornea, where professional insight and leadership are combined to promote innovation and quality within optician expertise.

Jon V. B. Gjelle is an optometrist with a Master of Science in Optometry and Visual Science. Specialising in general practice, his expertise covers ocular biometry, refractive development, visual field testing, and the application of evidence-based practices.

Since joining Specsavers in 2014 as an optometrist in Oslo, Jon has been dedicated to advancing the field of optometry. From 2015 to 2018, he focused on academia, engaging in teaching and research in Norway. When he returned to Specsavers, he joined the Professional Learning and Development team in Northern Europe. He’s currently part of the Professional Advancement team, where he oversees regional clinical risk, quality, and performance.

Jon also holds the position of Head of the Professional Committee at the Norwegian Optometry Association, where he continues to contribute to the profession’s growth and development.