View from the GOC: Survey sheds light on view of optics in UK

The results of our recent patient and public survey are now available and what was especially interesting was the different way the professions are viewed in the four nations of the UK (see InFocus).

Some 31% of people in Scotland would go to their optician first if they woke up with an eye problem. This compares to 26% in Wales, 25% in Northern Ireland but only 18% in England. (We used the term ‘optician’ to avoid confusion as previous GOC research showed the majority of the public do not distinguish between the two professions.)

The research found 47% of those who would first go to an optician with a problem see them as primarily providing a health-care rather than retail service.