I rarely meet an apathetic optometrist or DO when I am out and about, so I am constantly surprised by the lack of involvement by the profession at large in some crucial issues facing optics.
There has never been as many groupings, lobbyists and other quangos as there are at the moment. The assumption is they are working on behalf of the profession. Evidence to that effect is scarce. More dangerous is the message this devolved action has on individual practitioners. One has to wonder if they feel they can relax because someone else is charged with looking after their interests. Whatever the truth of the situation one thing is clear. The profession needs to start playing a bigger part in optical politics if it want to have a say in its future and get the recognition it deserves.
Two prime examples of this apathy emerged last week. The first was the paltry 9 per cent of DOs who voted in the proposal to change the name of ABDO. There is clearly a desire among DOs to have a name change but not necessarily to the name proposed. Greater involvement earlier on would have enabled the idea for a change to have been agreed before options for a new moniker were put forward. The second example concerns the consultation on the proposed revalidation scheme. Since its launch in March just 39 responses have been received from registrants. Such a tiny response to the biggest change to the profession in a generation has got to be a cause for concern.