Around 50 optical practitioners in Wales attended the Halliwell Centre, Carmarthen last weekend for patient smoking cessation training.
It was part of a pilot to involve opticians in making patient referrals for smoking cessation by Stop Smoking Wales (News 16.01.15).
The target was to reduce the level of smoking down to 16 per cent by 2020, with Welsh dentists also taking part in the initiative.
It would require 20,000 smokers to quit in Wales every year to meet the overall target, said optometrist Peter Garwood. He added that patients who quit smoking reduced the risk of developing sight loss and other long term health issues.
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