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Having resigned myself to the fact that I had no major sporting event planned for this year I suddenly find myself three weeks a way from cycling London to Paris. I'm officially excited. Cycling through the plane tree-lined roads of rural France,...

With final year optometry students awaiting their exam results and pre-reg students frantically preparing for their OSCEs, it is a pivotal time for young optometrists. The good news is that help is at hand. Free with this week's Optician is the annual Workplace Guide - reporting on job satisfaction in optics and options for the pre-reg year, together with domiciliary, sports vision and hospital career paths. With more than a dozen perspectives on the optical workplace setting, the hope is that readers of any age or experience can gain some inspiration from picking up a copy. Other news this week focuses on the opportunities for contact lens opticians and independent prescribers, while Leightons Opticians completed its competition to support a franchise start-up. Therefore, while times remain tough on the high street, new entrants to the profession have every reason to be excited when their exams are finally out of the way. By Joe Ayling, news editor.

Here is a very good illustration of the harm of buying mail-order colour contact lenses and not seeing an eye care practitioner http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20130525-425119.html - a 17-year-old whose eye condition was that of someone 60 years old. It turns out the patient, a contact lens wearer since childhood, had latterly been purchasing colour lenses by mail order and had not seen an ophthalmologist recently. The trouble really seems to be lack of oxygen permeability in the contact lenses. A survey by the Japan Contact Lens Society revealed a high number of cases involving colour contact lenses and at least 80 per cent of these involved patients in their 20s or younger. This also revealed that of 127 cases where the material in the coloured contact lenses was known, 97 involved materials with low oxygen permeability. The other main concern was not taking proper care of the lenses - an age-old story. Presumably the aim of this mail-order purchasing was to save money, but it comes with a major cost, and education is clearly needed on the benefits of oxygen permeabilty offered by modern materials as well as contact lens care among younger patients.

One striking quote in this week's news was a delegate at the Optical Confederation's annual meeting who asked 'Do you think we are naive or stupid?' She was referring to conversion rates and wanted to know how to get a greater number of patients through the door. Another phrase being bounded around the profession at the moment is there is no magic bullet - and perhaps for good reason. The current retail environment is tough, especially for independents, but last week's Confederation meeting underlined the importance of playing to your strengths. For optical practices, these could include latest contact lens technologies, providing community eye health services or differentiating with quality fashion frames. Therefore, while the flow of patient traffic continues to be slow, there is at least some opportunity to move into a faster lane. And while the Confederation's advice may have left some members unimpressed, we are living through a fairly unimpressive time on the high street. Joe Ayling, news editor. Confederation tackles optical priorities

Latest figures in this week's news about the use of sunglasses suggest many are still not too bothered about the dangers of not wearing sunglasses. The Vision Council's 2013 study showed 28.5 per cent of people did not wear sunglasses in the sun. Furthermore, of the three quarters who do, many wearers are more concerned by fashion and comfort from glare than anything. While the threat of UV radiation is better understood when it comes to skin exposure, future generations need to take on board the message that UV protective sunglasses are as important as sun tan lotion. Unfortunately, and because sunglasses are invariably more expensive, many people would rather take the chance - much in the same way past generations were not overly concerned with applying lotion to their skin. It means a step change in UV awareness can only be lead by the marketing of both ideas and products, with the latter being of less importance when it comes to eye health. Joe Ayling, news editor. UV radiation threat ignored all day long

With little prospect of the weather settling down and lots happening at work I am finding myself bike commuting on days I might otherwise have decided against. This means I have also had to become resigned to the fact that I will be getting a soaking...

Hydrogen peroxide confusion has been touched upon before, in the US http://www.opticianonline.net/opticianspace/blogs/the_contact_lens_blog/archive/2012/06/07/clear-care-not-so-clear.aspx , but now it seems the whole of Canada is being warned of the dangers of failure to neutralise properly http://ca.news.yahoo.com/improper-peroxide-based-contact-lens-cleaners-harm-eyes-200806918.html Health Canada has received reports of eye injuries from consumers who have confused hydrogen peroxide-based solutions with other types of solutions and has requested that manufacturers update their packaging to highlight the risk of improper use, as well as providing step-by-step instructions http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2013/28539a-eng.php#you-vous There are a couple of quite obvious suggestions in the update and these are to read the product instructions and follow the advice of your eye care practitioner. It may not be enough to halt the odd lapse in concentration but if you put your un-neutralised lens in your eye once, you are unlikely to repeat the experience, such is the pain. It also seems manufacturers are acting and updating their packaging as well.