Anti-smoking campaigners target optometrists

Optometrists should be doing more to provide advice to patients about smoking-related eye health, a UK ophthalmology college said this week.

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists presented as yet unpublished research revealing more evidence on the link between smoking and blindness at its annual congress on Tuesday (May 23). The story that it wants a ‘smoking causes blindness’ warning added to cigarette packets was widely reported via the BBC.

Around 5,000 patients have been canvassed for the research – the European Eye Study – via seven sites, including a number in Belfast, and 27 per cent were found to have eye disease attributable to smoking.

Further research, of 509 optometrists in the north west, by two health professionals based in Bolton, described current practice among optometrists to smoking cessation at the congress.

Simon Kelly, co-author and Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust ophthalmologist, said: ‘This is an overlooked opportunity for providing advice about stopping smoking from high street optometrists and hospital eye clinics. Efforts are now being made to improve their awareness.’

The Royal College is joining with charities the RNIB and the AMD Alliance to bring the ‘smoking causes blindness’ message for cigarette packets to the attention of legislators in time for next week’s World No Tobacco Day (May 31).