Bill Harvey: The blind leading the sighted

It has been a busy time regarding public health. Last week a paper in the British Medical Journal offered strong evidence for fortifying foodstuffs with vitamin D as a way of preventing colds and flu. Over the weekend there was a call for GPs to give out prescriptions that covered not just drugs, but also lifestyle interventions. This might include specific recommendations such as gym membership, tailored dietary advice or entry to smoking cessation or weight loss programmes.

The holistic prescription idea is a good one and I can see how eye care practitioners might easily be able to support here. The supplementation of food raises other questions. Even though the evidence for any benefit from water fluoridation remains debated, the practice still occurs in the north-east, though I am assured it is not the communist plot mentioned in Dr Strangelove.