Chris Bennett: Take the message into the street for National Eye Health Week

Getting people to sit up and take up notice is never easy, even when it comes to safeguarding their health.

The latest report from the National Children’s Bureau highlights the link between the poorest areas in the country and ill-health. It concentrates on obesity and poor dental health but the arguments hold good for eye care too.

National Eye Health Week once again gives optics its opportunity to gain media time. Vision is consistently shown to be the most valued sense, and yet it is often the most neglected. Despite eye examinations being free to the young, elderly and needy it is the very sections of society who need eyecare most who fail to seek it out. The poorest in society do not book an appointment with an optometrist as often as they should. The only way they will benefit from eye care is if the message, or the eyecare, is taken to them.