Omen writes

The end of 2010 saw yet another uninformed media attack on the profession. The BBC consumer programme Rip Off Britain where three TV personalities, who probably wouldn't be seen in anything but the most expensive sunglasses, accused high street opticians of ripping off the public. Leading the critics was none other than Dean Butler, who many readers will remember from his days at the head of Vision Express in the UK. He was filmed against a backdrop of a country mansion, which one assumes was his home, from which you can draw your own conclusions. The programme followed the familiar format of the public expressing shock at the price of spectacles bought in the high street compared with online sales. Much was made of Dean Butler's revelation that a lens costs £0.25 to make and that prices were unnecessarily high. It came as something of a surprise to read his letter (Optician 14.01.11) in which he complains that 'to say the least, the Rip Off Britain' show wound up rather different (sic) than I had hoped'. He claimed that he was trying to point out that opticians and optometrists were not the money-grabbing people they were portrayed as but simply victims of the retail system and its costs. Well, Mr Butler, as a seasoned public performer and given your previous track record, that takes a bit of believing. The media looks for sensation and doesn't let the facts get in the way, which makes it very difficult to provide a credible defence.