Moneo writes: The age of vision preservation is upon us – and optometry must dispense health advice

Optometry finds itself at an evolutionary crossroads.

Recently I was at a presentation where the speaker was looking at the role optometry may play in the years ahead. It was noted that traditionally ‘opticians’ had been refractionists who then developed skills to look for changes within the eyes that could suggest damage or general ill-health. This formed the foundation on which modern optometry was based. As education improved and new skills were acquired optometry evolved and began to move forward. However, the two traditional functional roles remained, and indeed remain today, enshrined in the regulations that govern the role of optometrists. That is to say the roles of refraction and checking the eyes for the purpose of detecting signs of abnormality. These two roles are the bedrock on which optometry functions.