Comment: All optics wins from sponsorship

Not just because it means that Transitions, an optical company, is confident and well-heeled enough to afford it, but because it places the whole of optics on a higher plane of consumer awareness. A plane that reaches young and old, emmetropic and ametropic and connects with them on an aspirational level.

The UK may not yet enjoy the obsession with cycling seen on the continent but no one should underestimate the emotion evoked by sport and the following it commands. Optical suppliers have made minor forays into the mainstream culture but why should high profile sports sponsorship be the reserve of banks, phone companies and airlines?

There are few places the consumer encounters optical product branding other than in an optical practice and then it is close to the point of sale. Placing an optical brand on the shirts of an elite sporting team raises the profile of the whole sector, lends a little glamour to an underrated sector and shines a little light in these gloomy times.

Opticians may feel the money is better spent on improving technology or providing price cuts for retailers. But by thinking big Transitions may spark an interest among the public that will benefit the profession much more.