Blair urged to grin and wear his specs

The admission came last week, when Mr Blair said that without them he 'could not tell the millions from the billions' in briefing papers and therefore no longer referred to them during Question Time in Parliament. The Eyecare Information Service has written to the Prime Minister - a supporter of National Eye Week for the past few years - urging him to 'come out of the closet and wear his specs with pride' and offering a Specs Wearer of the Year award. Norville director Malcolm Polley said he was 'amazed' by the admission: 'It is not in the country's interest that the Prime Minister puts vanity before efficiency. If Mr Blair is worried about how he looks, he should try stepping into any high-street opticians. Eyewear is now very fashionable.' Contact lens company UltraVision also wrote to Mr Blair offering him a trial of its contact lenses. Professional services director Bill Twemlow told optician: 'Millions of people around the world choose to keep their failing vision a secret but can still see what is going on, thanks to the superb vision and comfort offered by an almost endless choice of lenses.'