// February 9th, 2012
Brake and Ultralase have set up an e petition to make a full eye examination a compulsory element of the UK driving test.
The petition came about due to the results of a recent survey carried out by Brake and Ultralase. The results showed that out of 2,000 people, one in three drivers requiring vision correction makes two or more journeys a week without wearing their glasses or contact lenses.
If at least 100,000 people sign the petition it will be debated in the House of Commons.
Flame Health will be following this and will keep you up to date.
// Tags: Eye Test, Optometrist, optometry
// Posted in Flame Health, General, Optometrists, Optometry |
// January 26th, 2012
NHS statistics have shown that eye tests in England fell by 3.2% between April and September last year.
London and the West Midlands showed the largest decline.
As an optometrist have you felt these declines in eye test? Are you worried that people are missing out on vital tests? With the introduction of free eye test vouchers and reduced eye test vouchers on popular coupon websites, you would have thought that eye tests would have increased. However the General Ophthalmic Services Activity Statistics document also revealed the number of optical vouchers issued over the same period fell from 2.3 million to 2.1 million year-on-year.
Please let Flame Health know your thoughts.
// Tags: Eye Test, optical, Optometrist, optometry
// Posted in Flame Health, General, Optometrists, Optometry |
// September 14th, 2011
Flame Health are shocked that a poll recently conducted by Vision Express has shown that fewer than half of patients said they take their children for an eye test at least once a year.
The survey showed that parents are more likely to take their children out to buy new shoes or to get a new hair cut than have their eyes tested before the start of a school year. Shockingly 30% of parents said they never take their children to see an optometrist.
Worryingly 13% of parents would be concerned about their child being teased at school if they had to wear spectacles. Is this one of the reasons why the optical appointments are never booked?! And confusingly parents were worried about the cost of an eye test. Tests are free on the NHS for children 16 and under.
It is vital that children receive regular eye tests. It is an important part of health maintenance for everyone and can detect early signs of eye cancer and diabetes.
As an Optometrist, what do you think to this report? Do you think that eye tests for children should be advertised in a different way? Please let Flame Health know your thoughts.
// Tags: Eye Test, Optometrist, optometry
// Posted in Flame Health, General, Optometrists, Optometry |
Brake and Ultralase have set up an e petition to make a full eye examination a compulsory element of the UK driving test.
