Letter: Getting ready for the challenges ahead

For the avoidance of doubt I would like to correct the misleading interpretation by Arthur Gill (Letters 13.05.16) of my lecture at the recent Optrafair exhibition.

This lecture, as delivered to hundreds of opticians, has always been about the threats and opportunities that face our profession from the disruptive forces of technological advances, demographic change, the internet and NHS financial pressures.

The lecture had nothing to do with Specsavers as such – other than to make clear my vision that as optometrists we need to work together as a profession to take on the full scope of primary care. It’s not the pricing of sight tests that threatens the future provision of optometric services; it’s the advent of internet technology and other disruptive forces.