Bill Harvey: You live, you learn

There were two completely contrasting stories this week. One was reassuring that, despite an apparent glut of new university courses appearing for optometry training (those at UWE, Hertfordshire, Huddersfield, Central Lancs and Highlands are all under way), certain standards need to be maintained if the profession is not to be diluted into a glorified technician apprenticeship. The second, well....

First off, we learned from an announcement from the GOC that ‘the University of Portsmouth will not be admitting any new students this term as a condition of the Optometry Programme’s continuing provisional approval’, the implication being that it did not meet the ‘standards for optical education and training’ required by GOC accredited courses.