A week of news - spotlight on referrals

Claims that optometrists are making too many referrals to doctors in this week's BMJ have drawn a response from optical bodies.

The AOP says it is aware of a high rate in false positive referrals but believes optometrists have their hands tied, in part by requirements of the Opticians Act.

This is as much a source of furstration for well-equiped optical practices as for overstretched hospital eye departments.

But tackling the issue requires a precise approach, because referrals at the right time are vital and the relationship between high street and hospitals is delivering results in certain areas.

For example, as this report outlines, a decade-old screening programme for diabetes patients is resulting in thousands of sight-saving treatments each year.