Following a recommendation, I recently had dinner at a London restaurant where there was no lighting at all. We were guided to our table and served by visually impaired staff, and ate the entire meal in complete darkness. The experience of eating using the heightened senses of touch, taste, smell and hearing was initially a novelty, but the overwhelming sense of vulnerability had a profound effect on me.
Being entirely deprived of sight, a sense we so often take for granted, and reflecting on my role as an optometrist, dedicated to enhancing vision to its absolute limit, made me reconsider my own relationship with it. Could I truly adapt to, and accept, impairment in its function – and is that something we too readily expect of our patients?
I have also had the opportunity of spending time with a ski coach for the Italian Paralympic team, who has been working with a young man who lost a significant portion of his visual field in his late teens due to retinal dystrophy. Now, with less than a 10-degree visual field, he is representing his country at this year’s Winter Olympics, skiing at high speed down slopes that I, as a fully sighted skier, would be reluctant to attempt. His adaptation to impairment, supported by those around him, has allowed him not to be defined by disability.
It is our response to change, and the support we receive from our network, family, friends and colleagues, that ultimately determines how successfully we adapt.
A recent meeting of the optometric organisations of the Five Nations in Edinburgh demonstrated the profession’s collective commitment to remaining a vital part of the support network our patients need as they live with, and adapt to, potentially life-changing diagnoses, such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and low vision. We must continue to work together as a community to show governments that optometry is uniquely placed to deliver this support.
Looking ahead to next month, I am delighted that we will soon be bringing our community together in Harrogate for Optometry Tomorrow 2026. This year’s programme offers a rich mix of learning, from expert-led talks and hands-on skills to cutting-edge clinical updates, alongside meaningful opportunities to connect with colleagues from across the profession.
I look forward to being there and meeting many of you in person. There is still time to register if you have not yet done so. These conversations and connections lie at the heart of what makes our profession so strong, and I hope Optometry Tomorrow will provide you with new insights, renewed confidence and inspiration for the months ahead.
