Letters: April 13

 While I don't normally bother with anonymous communication, I am moved to address the comments made in the letter 'A practice fit for patients' (Optician, March 30).

My co-director Nick Atkins and I established Independents Day three years ago because of our staunch belief in the future of optics and a strong independent sector. Over 150 practitioners have come to one or both of our meetings and have found them 'enlightening' and 'inspirational' - their words not ours - as the video on www.independentsday.co.uk will show.

This year's meeting is focusing on the topical issue of professional fees as a strategy to better compete with other optical retailers, whether within our profession or outside of it. There are supporting CET presentations on the latest instruments, the use of which go hand-in-hand with developing a more professional and fee-based charging structure. Dr Rhonda Robinson from Indianapolis is our keynote speaker and will share her own experiences from her practice group, 'the most expensive in town', in her address 'Unbundling fees - Because you're worth it!'