Bill Harvey: Hang on to a dream

I was pleased to see last week’s announcement that NICE will be collaborating with the Cochrane group. In essence, this means that future announcements by NICE will be based upon assimilation and analysis of the published evidence base and should be better able to avoid any of the more knee-jerk responses that might be advocated from other quarters with a vested interest or a financial focus. As the announcement is dressed up as part of the ongoing five-year strategy plan for the NHS, a plan some of you may feel has been around for much longer than five years, it is reassuring to know that future announcements affecting eye care, whether concerning access to AMD treatments or the usefulness of tinted lenses for specific patients, will be primarily based on decent science.