Dr Byki Huntjens

Overview

Following her Bachelor in Optometry from the Hogeschool Utrecht (the Netherlands), Byki completed her MSc in Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science and PhD in Optometry at the University of Manchester. She joined City, University of London in 2009 as a lecturer, and was Program Director of the BSc Optometry course between 2015 and 2018. Currently she is module lead for Contact Lenses (UG), co-lead for Medical Retina (PG), and teaches Visual Optics and Clinical Skills. Byki is Lead for Teaching Excellence in the School of Health representing optometry. She supervises several MSc and PhD students in the field of contact lenses, myopia, and dry eye, after launching the dry eye clinic at City a few years ago. Byki was elected to Council of the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA), and is Chair of the British and Irish University and College Contact Lens Educators (BUCCLE).

Qualifications

• Dry eye management and contact lens retention - certificate, British Contact Lens Association, United Kingdom, Jul 2019
• PGDipAP, City University London, United Kingdom, Jan 2009 – Jan 2012
• PhD, University of Manchester, United Kingdom, Jan 2004 – Jan 2008
• MSc, University of Manchester, United Kingdom, Jan 2002 – Jan 2003
• BOptom, Hogeschool van Utrecht (HvU), Netherlands, 1996 – 2001

Administrative roles

• Programme Director MSc Optometry, Division of Optometry and Visual Sciences, Jul 2021 – present
• Member of the Ethics Advisory Team (Division of Optometry)
• Member of the Research Ethics Committee and of the Moodle Support Group (School of Health Sciences)
• Member of the Learning Spaces Group (University)
• Programme Director UG Optometry, Division of Optometry, City, University of London

Employment

• Visiting Scholar, UC Berkeley, Jan – Apr 2019
• Lead for Teaching Excellence, City, University of London, Sep 2016 – present
• Senior Lecturer, Optometry and Visual Sciences, City, University London, Aug 2016 – present
• Programme Director BSc (Hons) Optometry, City, University of London, Aug 2015 – Aug 2018
• Lecturer, Optometry and Visual Sciences, City, University London, Jan 2009 – Aug 2016
• Clinical supervisor Primary Care and Contact Lens clinics, City, University London, 2007 – 2009
• Resident Optometrist, Michel Guillon optician, Jan 2007 – Jan 2009
• Locum Optometrist, Greater Manchester, Jan 2004 – Jan 2007
• Research Assistant, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, Jan 2003 – Jan 2004

Fellowships

• Senior Fellow (SFHEA), Higher Education Academy, May 2019 – present
• Fellow of the BCLA (FBCLA), British Contact lens Association, Jun 2018 – present
• Fellow of IACLE (FIACLE), International Association of Contact Lens Educators, Jan 2016 – present
• Fellow (FHEA), Higher Education Academy, Jan 2011 – May 2019

Memberships of committees

• Chair, British & Irish University & College Contact Lens Educators, Jan 2021 – present
• Vice-Chair, British & Irish University & College Contact Lens Educators, Feb 2019 – Jan 2021
• Elected Council Member, British Contact Lens Association, Jun 2018 – present

Memberships of professional organisations

• International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE), Jan 2015 – present
• British Contact Lens Association (BCLA), Jan 2015 – present
• General Optical Council, 2003 – present
• College of Optometrists, 2003 – present

Award

• International Association of Contact Lens Educators (2021) Contact Lens Educator of the Year 2021
  https://iacle.org/awards/iacle-contact-lens-educator-of-the-year-awards/

Languages

Dutch; Flemish.

Teaching

Educational Leadership

02 Module lead for OV2006 Contact Lenses I | MSc co-Module lead for Professional Higher Certificate in Contact Lenses | MSc co-Module lead for Professional Certificate in Medical Retina

Undergraduate Modules

OV1015 Visual optics | OV3025 Clinical and Professional Practice | OV3021 Research Studies

Postgraduate Modules

OVM056 Medical Retina | OVM006 Glaucoma | OVM032/057 Professional Higher Certificate in Contact Lenses | OVM061 Clinical Management Guidelines | APM002 SHS MSc Dissertation Module

Research Overview

Byki completed her doctorate called 'Acute anterior ocular changes in Diabetes Mellitus' in 2008. Currently, her main area of research includes dry eye, contact lenses and macular pigment optical density in relation to foveal anatomy using optical coherence tomography. Particular interests are 1) air pollution and dry eye, 2) ortho keratology contact lenses and myopia control, and 3) ethnic variations in spatial profiling of macular pigment.

Grants

Together with Dr Manbir Nagra and Professor Chris Hull, an industry grant was obtained to design and manufacturer an optimal orthokeratology lens for myopia control (2016).
Byki was given the opportunity to be PI of a City University Doctoral Studentship (2012- 2015) to investigate the relationship between macular pigment optical density and foveal anatomic architecture in different ethnic populations.

Research students

Featured publications

1. Wolffsohn, J.S., Ghorbani-Mojarrad, N., Vianya-Estopa, M., Nagra, M., Huntjens, B., Terry, L. … Maldonado-Codina, C. (2022). Fast versus gradual adaptation of soft monthly contact lenses in neophyte wearers. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, 45(4), pp. 101469–101469. doi:10.1016/j.clae.2021.101469.

   [publisher’s website]

2. Lawrenson, J.G., Dhakal, R., Verkicharla, P.K., Shah, R., Huntjens, B., Downie, L.E. … Walline, J.J. (2021). Interventions for myopia control in children: a living systematic review and network meta-analysis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. doi:10.1002/14651858.cd014758.

   [publisher’s website]

3. Nagra, M., Rodriguez-Carmona, M., Blane, S. and Huntjens, B. (2021). Intra- and Inter-Model Variability of Light Detection Using a Commercially Available Light Sensor. Journal of Medical Systems, 45(4). doi:10.1007/s10916-020-01694-4.

   [publisher’s website]

4. Wolffsohn, J.S., Dumbleton, K., Huntjens, B., Kandel, H., Koh, S., Kunnen, C.M.E. … Stapleton, F. (2021). BCLA CLEAR - Evidence-based contact lens practice. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, 44(2), pp. 368–397. doi:10.1016/j.clae.2021.02.008.

   [publisher’s website]

5. Hutchins, B. and Huntjens, B. (2021). Patients’ attitudes and beliefs to presbyopia and its correction. Journal of Optometry, 14(2), pp. 127–132. doi:10.1016/j.optom.2020.02.001.

   [publisher’s website]

6. Nagra, M., Akhtar, A., Huntjens, B. and Campbell, P. (2021). Open versus closed view autorefraction in young adults. Journal of Optometry, 14(1), pp. 86–91. doi:10.1016/j.optom.2020.06.007.

   [publisher’s website]

7. Rutledge, G.A., Pratt, S.G., Richer, S.P., Huntjens, B., Perry, C.B., Pratt, G. … Podella, C. (2020). Foveal macular pigment dip in offspring of age-related macular degeneration patients is inversely associated with omega-3 index. BMC Ophthalmology, 20(1). doi:10.1186/s12886-020-01742-0.

   [publisher’s website]

8. Vianya-Estopa, M., Nagra, M., Cochrane, A., Retallic, N., Dunning, D., Terry, L. … Joshi, M. (2020). Optimising subjective anterior eye grading precision. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, 43(5), pp. 489–492. doi:10.1016/j.clae.2020.03.006.
9. Mulder, J.A., van Tilborg, M.M. and Huntjens, B. (2020). The effect of sodium fluorescein on anterior eye surface measurements. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, 43(4), pp. 402–407. doi:10.1016/j.clae.2020.02.016.

   [publisher’s website]

10. Wolffsohn, J.S., Dhirajlal, H., Vianya-Estopa, M., Nagra, M., Madden, L., Sweeney, L.E. … Maldonado-Codina, C. (2020). Fast versus gradual adaptation of soft daily disposable contact lenses in neophyte wearers. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, 43(3), pp. 268–273. doi:10.1016/j.clae.2019.08.011.

    [publisher’s website]

11. Nagra, M. and Huntjens, B. (2020). Smartphone ophthalmoscopy: patient and student practitioner perceptions. Journal of Medical Systems, 44(1). doi:10.1007/s10916-019-1477-0.

    [publisher’s website]

12. Huntjens, B., Basi, M. and Nagra, M. (2019). Evaluating a new objective grading software for conjunctival hyperaemia. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye. doi:10.1016/j.clae.2019.07.003.
13. Hobby, A.E., Kozareva, D., Yonova-Doing, E., Hossain, I.T., Katta, M., Huntjens, B. … Mahroo, O.A. (2018). Effect of varying skin surface electrode position on electroretinogram responses recorded using a handheld stimulating and recording system. Documenta Ophthalmologica, 137(2), pp. 79–86. doi:10.1007/s10633-018-9652-z.

    [publisher’s website]

14. Wolffsohn, J.S., Naroo, S.A., Christie, C., Morris, J., Conway, R. and Maldonado-Codina, C. (2015). Anterior eye health recording. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, 38(4), pp. 266–271. doi:10.1016/j.clae.2015.03.001.

    [publisher’s website]

15. Wolffsohn, J.S., Naroo, S.A., Christie, C., Morris, J., Conway, R., Maldonado-Codina, C. … Purslow, C. (2015). History and symptom taking in contact lens fitting and aftercare. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, 38(4), pp. 258–265. doi:10.1016/j.clae.2015.03.002.

    [publisher’s website]

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