Chris Bennett: Seeing your way clear to a life well lived

Mens sana in corpore sano is an ancient phrase but one which resonates louder with today’s society than with the Romans Juvenal wrote it for.

If evidence for the need of a healthy mind in a healthy body is required then reading of the College’s report into visual impairment and dementia provides it (In Focus). The facts are stark yet depressing and shameful for society. Many elderly people suffering with dementia are having their confusion and isolation compounded by the lack of suitable eyecare.

Those living in care homes are more likely to have poor visual acuity but the optical profession is perfectly capable of giving them the means to increase that acuity to the level needed for independent living. We know that mental and physical activity helps prevent the advance of dementia and that living at home is much more likely in those circumstances. But that care isn’t forthcoming.