Alliance highlights role of optics

Optics' omission from two Department of Health white papers was one of the principal issues over which the Eye Health Alliance (EHA) lobbied MPs at its annual reception at Westminster Palace this week.

Inclusion for the sector in the white papers Healthy Lives, Healthy People and Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS was one of the EHA's key messages to attendees along with other issues such as the inadequacy of the current system of testing drivers' vision.

Speaking at the event on January 17, John Baron MP, co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment, said: 'Eye health is often overlooked and we must work together to change this. This important public health message must be taken seriously by national and local government, commissioners, and health and social care professionals.'