View from the High Street: How the pandemic changed community optometry

Thank you to Maria McAllister for sharing her view ‘From the High Street’ (Optician, 08.04.22). Maria touched on the gradual return to some type of ‘new normal’ as we incorporate the good practice we have developed over the past two years. Maria showed perfect timing with the College of Optometrists announcing that the UK will transition to green phase from May 10. The guidance is clear that with new variants, Covid-19 will be a serious disease for many years to come.

In April, I had the opportunity to attend 100% Optical and was reminded of the great steps we are taking to develop our expertise and service delivery. This year’s event was extra special as we were able to meet face-to-face after a two-year hiatus. The initial apprehension soon disappeared as I met with fellow clinicians, and we shared experiences and lessons learned during the pandemic.