Viewpoint: Become the first port of call

Every so often, I spot news articles that tie together very nicely. Regular readers will be aware that I have long decried the actions of certain sectors of our profession that have, for decades, sought to portray the role of the optician as that of an overt retailer, rather than a skilled medical practitioner seeking to preserve and improve eyesight. So successful has their mission been that many of the public view opticians as just another high street shopkeeper. This problem is acknowledged in the findings in a recent publication by the College of Optometrists.  

There is a growing recognition within areas of the optical sector that there is a need to reposition optometry as, first and foremost, a clinical entity. This is a refreshing step forward and something many have been saying was vital for some time now. Recently, it was particularly heartening to see the recent move taken by Boots Opticians to install ultra-widefield retinal imaging devices in many of its practices, with a view to increasing that number over time.