EDITOR’S COMMENT
Life on the road
One of the best things about optics from a journalistic point of view is that the sheer variety of the industry means it can always throw new experiences your way. Recently, I got the latest such opportunity when I spent a day on the road
with a domiciliary optometrist visiting patients in the Surrey countryside.
Now, I think its fair to say that I’ve engaged with the provision of eye care in a patient’s home a decent amount during my time with Optician. I’ve interviewed lots of people employed in various aspects of domiciliary eye care, am well-versed as to the topical issues in the field, and I’ve often thought long and hard about the difference the service must make to vulnerable people.
However, despite being theoretically well-prepped to dispassionately observe the life of a domiciliary optometrist, I found the experience extremely affecting. Thinking about it later, it was clear to me that this was due to the unprecedented glimpse I was afforded into the lives of actual domiciliary patients.
It’s hard to overstate the joy that a pair of prescription frames can bring to a person housebound with Parkinson’s disease whose main pleasure in life is watching the films of Alfred Hitchcock.
I ended the day feeling distinctly envious of the optometrists who get to make such a difference in this setting. Look out for a full report in our upcoming Workplace Guide, which will be distributed with the September 22 issue of Optician.
Finally, I would like to thank Optician columnist Mentoris, who is departing after four years with the magazine. I know many readers have found the monthly business-related insights offered by Mentoris invaluable and recommend they turn to page 8 for some final words of wisdom and to find out the identity of the person behind the pseudonym.
CONTENTS
12 Employee ownership schemes
14 Older workers
Deputy editor
NEWS 4 7 Days News from the past week 7 In Focus Disappointment as eye health bill axed
OPINION 8 Mentoris
So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye!
PRACTICE 10 Informed
Updates from inside the industr y 11 Showcase
The latest product news
MANAGEMENT 12 Employee ownership offers clear future
for opticians Giving your staff a piece of the action
13 Setting up for success
Flourishing through social media 14 Glad to be grey
The role of older workers 16 Proactive prevention
Sexual harassment in the workplace
CLINICAL 18 CPD: Psychological and social impact
of retinoblastoma on teenage and young adult sur vivors How the disease affects the mental wellbeing of young sur vivors
CLASSIFIED 26 Recruitment 29 Ser vices
Editorial enquiries 020 7501 6660 opticianeditor@markallengroup.com Display advertisements 020 7501 6668 Classified advertisements 020 7501 6686 daniel.doherty@markallengroup.com Subscriber enquiries 01722 716997 subscriptions@markallengroup.com
opticianonline.net
Optician is the weekly, paid-for information source for optometrists, dispensing opticians and the optical industr y. For 132 years Optician has been the independent voice for eye care professionals, students and business owners offering breaking news, analysis and education. In print and online, Optician provides an array of clinical, business and technology ar ticles, comprehensive CPD coverage along
with the ver y latest in contact lenses, frame fashion trends and spectacle lens technology. Optician offers advice on careers and carries hundreds of job oppor tunities ever y week. Optician provides its readers with essential business help and offers a forum for eye care professionals and others in the market.
25 August 2023 OPTICIAN 3
