As a lifelong, though eternally disappointed, Birmingham City fan, I have grown used to seeing my city near the bottom of many a table. So, I was surprised to see this week that Birmingham sits around the middle of a newly published league table of UK cities based on the average waiting time needed to see a GP.
At 2.25 weeks, Brum is still not within the government target of two weeks, but safely above my new home Bristol (2.69 weeks) and
bottom-placed Belfast (3.33 weeks). Glasgow is top, as is so often the case with eye care, at 1.66 weeks.
It is hard to imagine the high temperatures suffered this week throughout southern Europe, heat pulled up from Africa by the same jet stream dragging cool and wet air over us.
However, the record temperatures are yet more nails in the climate change naysayers’ coffins. And, with uncanny timing, coincide with the publication of a new study from Canada,1 which shows clear evidence for a significant association between higher average temperature and increased odds of severe vision impairment across all cohorts.
The well-designed study concludes that the predicted rise in global temperatures is likely to increase the numbers of older people by severe vision impairment ‘and the associated health and economic burden’.
Better news, however, from the trials of Alzheimer’s slowing drugs. As one expert put it this week, these new drugs should significantly slow deterioration and extend life, especially where the disease is detected early.
So, exciting times ahead for all of you with scanning laser ophthalmoscopy technology.
That’s it from me – it’s been a gas.