Optician news in brief

Lesley-Anne Alexander, chief executive of the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), has been awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to the voluntary sector. Alexander is also chair of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations and chairs the UK Vision Strategy Group. She said: 'I have always been passionate about driving innovation in the voluntary sector and the creation of the RNIB Group and the UK Vision Strategy are initiatives that will stand the test of time and provide real benefits to blind and partially sighted people across the UK.'

National Eye Health Week will take place from September 17-23, and a guide to getting involved was released last week. Francesca Marchetti, chair of the National Eye Health Week steering group, said: 'This free guide is a fantastic toolkit to inspire everyone to get involved in this year's National Eye Health Week. It includes ideas about innovative events you can organise to mark the week and details of the free National Eye Health Week resources which will be available later this summer to help you make your event as successful as possible.' Download at www.visionmatters.org.uk.