Practitioners have role to play in driver safety

Optical professionals have a key role to play in encouraging drivers to take responsibility for their eye health and make the roads safer.

Introducing Optician's latest series on driving and vision (page 19), Jayne Rawlinson, said there were increasing reports of serious traffic incidents where the driver was found to have a serious eye condition.

In her role as the chair of the driving and vision working group of the Optical Confederation she said changes to the European Directives on driving licences gave the UK the opportunity to ensure minimum standards. In turn this gave the Optical Confederation and the Eye Health Alliance the opportunity to put pressure on the government to replace the number plate vision test with a proper screening programme.