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Original papers: Bhaskar Punukollu and Michael Phelan Visual acuity and reported eye problems among psychiatric in-patients Psychiatr Bull 2006; 30: 297-299 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]

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Optician visits by psychiatric outpatients.

Isabel E R Ellory   (6 September 2006)

Optician visits by psychiatric outpatients. 6 September 2006
Isabel E R Ellory, SpR in Adult Mental Illness Merseycare NHS Trust Send letter to journal: Re: Optician visits by psychiatric outpatients. Isabel.Ellory{at}merseycare.nhs.uk Isabel E R Ellory	Punukollu and Phelan highlight that many psychiatric inpatients have not visited an optician in the last 5 years (Psychiatric Bulletin, August 2006, 30, 297-299). In discussing their findings, they infer from Department of health statistics that their patients visit an optician less frequently than the general population. My experience has been different. I used a questionnaire to examine how recently people have received a range of health checks including a sight test. My samples were 20 psychiatric outpatients and 25 people who have a GP in the same area of Liverpool, but no history of psychiatric illness. I found the percentages reporting recent visits to the optician were similar: 35% of the psychiatric outpatients reported they had attended in the last year. A further 35% said they visited between 1 and 3 years ago. This compared to 40% of GP patients visiting the optician in the last year and 32% 1 to 3 years ago. This appears to be at odds with Punukollu and Phelan's findings, and the reason for the difference is not immediately apparent. One interesting consideration, when thinking why my patients behaved similarly to the GP patients, is that in the population I studied many people are economically disadvantaged - not just the psychiatric patients. My samples had comparable average weekly incomes (£155 for the psychiatric outpatients and £172 for the others). Given the social disadvantages faced by many of our patients, comparing uptake of chargeable services with the whole population may be misleading.