Silly season is a British press tradition we can all laugh along with but the fallout from the ‘contact lenses stuck in the eye story’ shouldn’t be raising any smiles in the profession.
Unbelievable is perhaps the most common reaction to the tale of the 27 contact lenses lodged in a 67- year-old woman’s eye. Given the report appeared in the British Medical Journal we have to assume it is genuine.
Initial disgust quickly makes way for a raft of obvious questions. How can the patient not have been seen by an eye care practitioner after wearing lenses for such a long time? If she was at hospital for a cataract operation was she referred from a practice? Wasn’t she assessed before the operation? How can someone buy lenses for so long without a prescription? If she did see an eye care practitioner how could they have missed such an accumulation? These queries don’t even begin to fathom the patient’s comfort, vision or behaviour. Or more importantly their suitability to wear lenses.
The story has romped around the globe. Google it, the reach is as frightening as the message is damaging.
Few hostages are taken by the comments on some US websites. Most express disdain and disgust at the ability to buy product, willy nilly, in the UK. Others question the care provided by UK optometrists. The effectiveness of the NHS to deliver effective care is also raised. There are no winners here.
The professional bodies, government and regulator can dismiss these as throwaway forum comments by a few rednecks but the case has arisen on their watch.
Rules should protect the most vulnerable patients and in this instance they haven’t. If the case is as described the fact the patient still has her sight is, frankly, unbelievable.