Slow optometry

In previous roles I observed a lot of eye tests performed by other optometrists - mostly people knew I was there to watch and feedback and I did a few incognito. The incognito ones horrified me, at the end I didn’t know whether to break my cover and give them a hug or shop them to the General Optical Council. The hug came from the part of me that recognised they were miserable and clearly were not enjoying their work; the reporting them to the authorities came from the point of view that I didn’t think they were performing up to the standards our professional guidelines set out.

When I was there to observe, as part of their development, the theme was frustration. Frustration that their patients were not being listened to well enough, frustration that the issues they came with were not being addressed and frustration that when I raised this with the practitioner they were either in denial or that they thought they had to work like due to lack of time afforded to appointments by their employer. I couldn’t disagree with them, but when I had worked in places where they insisted on 20 min per patient diary I had refused and left if more time wasn’t allocated. I asked them why they put up with it, if they knew the care they were offering was compromised and those conversations petered out in a series of shrugs and muttering about pensions …

It’s all a bit sad, as you need high grades to get on to an optometry degree, the course is full on and then the registration year is hard graft with tricky professional assessments throughout and stressful practical exams at the end. Then after all that, once you past the first thing said to you - is “now you need to get faster”.

Why book eye tests in to too short a time and get unhappy patients and practitioners - well, it’s money isn’t it. See more, sell more.

When we set up Eyeye we didn’t want to feel rushed and we didn’t want patients to feel rushed either. It’s good for eye health and mental health to feel there is time to listen, explain and respond.

Almost 9 yrs in we don’t regret our slow model at all.