In focus: High street looking to reputation management after trial by TV

Last week’s BBC Watchdog investigation into staff at Vision Express and Boots Opticians misleading patients about the effects of blue light could damage public confidence in not just blue light filtering products and more importantly, the profession.

Undercover reporters investigated five branches of each multiple, finding that there were six health claims reported across the 10 stores, which a panel of experts told the programme were not backed up with any evidence. Advice provided in some branches of Boots Optician was described as ‘frightening’ and one member of staff told the reporter that the dangerous blue light ‘killed’ retinal cells in the back of the eye.