Chris Bennett: Spearheading the new normal in eye care

Frustration over the lack of emphasis placed on eye care by the public should be tempered by a health anniversary being celebrated this month. It also indicates how such sea change happens.

It is 10 years since the smoking ban in public places came into effect – an event that neatly demonstrates how quickly attitudes and actions can be changed. Anyone over 40 will remember an era when smoking was part and parcel of everyday life.

By the 1970s the link between smoking and ill-health were well known. Parents were giving up, there was less smoking on the TV and even teachers were less likely to smoke. I have abiding memories of my PE teacher sat in his car, smoking while making sure no one took a shortcut on a rainy cross-country run. But who would have imagined a world in which you couldn’t light up in pub, club or workplace?