England lags behind in perceptions study

People in the devolved nations of the UK are more likely to visit an optical practice with an acute eye problem, according to a study commissioned by the GOC.

Its public perceptions survey, released during a council meeting last week, found 31% of Scots would first visit an optician if they woke up with an eye problem compared to 26% in Wales, 25% in Northern Ireland but just 18 per cent in England.

In total, 89 per cent of respondents said they were confident they would receive a high standard of care from an optician, with 97 per cent of patients, defined as someone who had visited an optician in the past two years, reporting high satisfaction levels with the optician they had seen.