A week of news - dim view of the NHS

This week's big news again comes from the National Health Service, which is a treasured institution one moment and a failing one the next.

On one hand, figures came out from the Macular Disease Society (MDS) showing the NHS is grossly underestimating the number of new AMD sufferers each year.

While the NHS has been accounting for 26,000 cases of wet AMD per year, a new study commissioned by the MDS found it was nearly double, at 40,000. It was stressed that far more should be benefitting from treatment.

Criticism of this kind is not, of course, unusual, but came in a week that the government's under-fire Health and Social Bill met further opposition that included a frenzied e-petition to scrap it altogether. And so although the NHS has its flaws there is great reluctance out there for changes that are too radical.

Optician news desk was keen to find out what the optical profession thought though, and so called around the Association of Optometrists, Optical Confederation and College of Optometrists.

Although cautious, their responses bucked the general trend and pointed out that new commissioners, a consistent approach to GOS and reduction in bureaucracy were all positive parts of the Bill for the profession.

Recent news about the addition of an eye health indicator should also improve how AMD statistics are gathered.