Bill Harvey: What's the evidence?

Eye care professionals, and indeed their auxiliary staff, should be the first to be asked advice on matters related to eye health. As our profile is raised in the public eye, I hope this becomes increasingly so and this will help reduce the cost caused by time wasted with GPs and, in many cases, the hospital eye service dealing with these queries.

Many concerns are often driven by sensational reporting in the popular press. I can recall being asked about ‘drops that take away cataract’, a ‘new operation that cures macular degeneration’ and, recently, ‘which supplements will stop me going blind.’ If we are to do this appropriately, it is essential we offer information based on evidence-based research wherever possible.