Elderly urged to seek eye care

The group has produced factsheets to be distributed at its primary health care centres, and hopes it can hold more GP eye clinics in its practices. Healthcall has 20 GP eye clinic locations, with three more planned. The company, which services 15 optical centre - areas with a radius of between 50 and 100 miles - throughout Britain, has launched the eye examination promotion to coincide with the Eyecare Information Service's National Eye Week. David Pullen, Healthcall optical development director, said: 'We're using the Week as a vehicle to promote good eye health, particularly among the elderly.' He said the campaign would be promoted on a local basis with the residential homes, nursing homes and Healthcall GP services. The company, which serves 20,000 patients, is aware that this is a fraction of those who should be receiving eye treatment. 'As our patient-base is mainly elderly we're in a position to undertake a great deal of pathology which can be screened out and treated on a primary-care basis, rather than going through hospital services,' said Mr Pullen. Healthcall's managing director, Wayne Lysaght-Mason, said the urgency of the campaign was underlined by the results of the EIS/MORI survey (optician, News, September 18), which showed that almost one in four British adults had not had an eye examination within the past two years, and one in 25 had never had one. 'We are appalled at these findings and urge all GPs to increase their focus on this all-important medical area,' he said.