MEET OUR SPEAKERS
Dr Kristin Bell
Dr Kristin Bell is a comprehensive ophthalmologist.
She is the Director of Surgery and Head of the Eye Department at the Royal Hobart Hospital and Chair of the Tasmanian Eye Health Network.
She is the RANZCO Vision 2030 and Beyond Clinical Lead, and chairs the RANZCO Tasmanian Branch, STP, and Regionally Enhanced Training Network Education committees.
She has a strong interest in health advocacy – in particular, fair, and equitable access to health services regardless of postcode, ethnicity, or income.
Damon Hannay
Damon graduated Optometry from QUT in 2006 with First Class Honours and the University Medal. He returned to QUT in 2009 to complete his ocular therapeutics before moving to Launceston, Tasmania to work as a clinical optometrist. In 2016 he became an Optometry Director at Specsavers Launceston and now leads a team of 9 optometrists.
Damon has a special interest in advanced contact lens fitting (including keratoconus and orthokeratology) as well as the management of glaucoma. He is passionate about collaborative care and has been proactively involved in setting up a glaucoma shared care model in Northern Tasmania. In 2024 he completed the Advanced Certificate in Glaucoma through the ACO and in early 2025 he received Advanced Practice Recognition in Glaucoma from Optometry Australia.
Nicholas Willson
Nick graduated from the University of Canberra in 2023 and serves as a committee member for ECOVSAT and SAVSAT, and a board member of OTAS. In late 2025, he completed the ACO’s advanced certificate in children’s vision, with a grant from the Tasmanian Optometry Foundation. Today, he’ll be speaking about his experience with the course and how that support contributed to his development.