In Focus: Foresight report brings future of optics into sharp focus

Leaders from across the optical sector clinked Champagne glasses at the Association of Optometrists’ headquarters in London last week at the launch of a landmark study into where the optical profession will be in a few decades.

But it remains uncertain whether the new reality will be cause for celebration for all those currently making a living in optics.

The Foresight Project’s chairman, Alan Tinger, last year secured £100,000 to investigate the impact of technology on the entire sector between now and 2030.

At the click of a button the project’s findings were shared worldwide during a ceremony featuring an address by MP Alistair Burt, government minister of state for community and social care, who has responsibility for the optical sector.