Conveyer-belt care criticised

Communication issues and conveyer belt-like practice procedures have had a negative effect on contact lens wear and penetration of the product in the market, Question Time heard.

In answer to a question on what effect communication has on contact lens wearers, head of pharmacy at Johnson & Johnson, David Mitchell, flagged up a negative experience of his own within an optical practice. 'I didn't think the practitioner really cared about what I wanted,' he said. Mitchell had felt he was just part of a process likened to a 'sausage machine', and guessed the person examining eyes was paid on a volume basis.