Grant Hannaford

Grant is a qualified optical dispenser and lens designer. He graduated with honours in a Bachelor of Arts degree and Bachelor of Science degree with a major in physics and pure mathematics from the University of New England. Grant holds a qualification in spectacle lens design with honours from the UK under the tutelage of Professor Mo Jalie and is the first and only spectacle lens designer in Australia. He has an interest in research and photonics.

Grant is a Fellow of the Association of British Dispensing Opticians and ADOA. He is also a lecturer at the School of Optometry and Vision Science UNSW. He is the past Chairman of the NSW Optical Dispensers Education Trust and the current Vice President of ADOA (NSW).

Since 2006 Grant has been the director of the Rotary Eye Projects in Nepal, Mongolia and helped implement the establishment of an ophthalmic facility in Ulaangom, Mongolia and works closely with Reiyukai Eye Hospital in Banepa, Nepal. He also consults for various international education projects providing resources for best practice dispensing models. Grant is a regular guest lecturer for Optometry Australia SA Blue Sky Congress, QLD Australian Vision Convention (AVC), NSW Super Sunday and Ski Conference.

He has been awarded as a Paul Harris fellow and is recognised by the Australian government for his aid work in Mongolia and Nepal. He is also the cofounder and director of the Academy of Advanced Ophthalmic Optics, a company specialising in education and professional development of practitioners in the ophthalmic science industry. Grant is a doctoral candidate in Aston University’s Doctor of Ophthalmic Science program in the UK. He is the 2022 International Optician of the Year.