Verum writes: Worries over Call to Action

 The window for giving feedback to the “Call to Action for Improving Eye Health and Sight Loss”, where everyone was encouraged to have their say, has now closed.   There has always been frustration that nothing changes and the ”Call to Action” process appears to have sparked a great deal of optimism in optical circles with much store  being placed upon it to achieve our aims.  

While we will await the results of what the consultation, seeing what many of the optical bodies and charitable organisation have said, there will be a great deal of commonality – all very sensible ideas- but to be honest, nothing that we have not have heard before.   The key themes will be that we should be utilising skills of community optometry to reduce workload in secondary care and there should be greater targeting of GOS sight tests to those at greater risk of sight loss.  These should be underpinned by IT systems that enable this to happen, development of the workforce and greater commonality in commissioning around the country to avoid duplication of effort.