College paper stresses importance of patient advice

Optometrists can raise the link between lifestyle and health by identifying risk factors and offering advice to individuals, according to the College of Optometrists.

A review paper published last month encouraged optometrists to ‘make every contact count’  by raising awareness of the effects of smoking, exercise, diet and UV protection.

College president David Parkins said: ‘This idea that optometrists must make every patient contact count is a prominent theme in the thought-provoking article by [authors] Jane Veys and Pretticia Desai on improving the overall health and well-being of our patients, and is full of helpful advice.

‘Our rapidly growing older population presents particular public health challenges, and degenerative diseases such as glaucoma and AMD pose public health challenges particularly relevant to optometrists.