Year to remember

So much seems to have happened during 2005 and yet putting a finger on exactly what it all means and where it all leaves us is a somewhat harder trick to perform. But make no mistake, 2005 has been a very important year.

Through the centuries the '05 suffix has built a strong pedigree of events for which its years will be remembered. 1605 brought us the gunpowder plot, in 1705 the throne of England was handed over to the house of Hanover, 1805 saw Trafalgar, 1905 Einstein's theory of relativity.
The year 2005 is most likely to be remembered for its natural disasters but what of optics? The year we are about to leave has no one event the profession can point to as a pivot in its history but the year as a whole must surely rank among the most momentous.

The profession has won powers this year that it has lobbied and hungered for. The rights, now enshrined in law, allowing optometrists to prescribe drugs, place the profession on a different footing.

Its inclusion within the review of the National Health Service and its integration within the management of the primary care trusts sets it on a path which can only enhance the standing and importance of optometry.

Sure, 2005 brought less pleasant things too, such as compulsory CET and changes to the way contact lenses are retailed, but as time passes these 'local difficulties' will fade in our memory.

As we leave 2005 the profession can be proud of the confidence invested through this greater healthcare role.

We take this opportunity to wish all of our readers a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.