Dear Sir
We refer to the article in the Sunday Times Magazine of 30 April.
In the article the author, Tim Rayment, states:
“In Britain, eye tests are done mainly on the high street and the motive is to sell spectacles, not detect disease. In middle age, I still have good vision; “super-vision”, in fact. Thus I have never had a proper eye examination. That’s Britain, and it’s why our elderly have higher rates of eye disease than in other developed nations.”
Mr Rayment couldn’t be more wrong. The motive for sight test provision is not “to sell spectacles”. The regulations governing sight tests state clearly that the optometrist is required, as part of every sight test, to look for “signs of injury, disease or abnormality in the eye and elsewhere”. Not only do optometrists comply with these regulations but they are also bound by a Code of Ethics laid down by their professional body, which states that an optometrist shall always place the welfare of the patient before other considerations.
Under the NHS sight tests are provided free of charge to children, to everyone over the age of 60, to those in financial need and to those with certain clinical conditions. Mr Rayment gives a good rationale for a sight test and then boasts that he has never had one and blames “Britain” for his failure to take his own advice. Just because he doesn’t wear spectacles, doesn’t mean he wouldn’t benefit from a proper eye examination, which as well as testing his sight, would check the health of his eyes and look for signs of general health problems.
He should get himself down to his local optometrist pronto and allow “Britain” to ensure that he doesn’t develop eye disease when he gets older. We can’t help him if he doesn’t bother to turn up.
Yours sincerely
Bryony Pawinska, Chief Executive, College of Optometrists and Bob Hughes, Chief Executive Association of Optometrists