All Eyes on the Ashes

Optical connections encouraged the use of Logmar high and low contrast acuity charts to best assess visual function with age – with low contrast charts more relevant to All eyes on the changes patients experience in the real world. The use of a pen torch to test glare and quality of life assessments should also be considered. the Ashes Shelly Bansal, a successful and respected dispensing optician with a practice base of over 12,000 patients The showdown between the Australian and English cricket and 40 per cent of the overall turnover relating to contact lenses, shared teams is under way. David Baker looks into the optical entertaining tips and strategies to connections of various Ashes combatants over the years cater for all the different generations from Lucy to Anne – each generation he body will be 48.22, but then he was severely with its own characteristics and core cremated and the colour-deficient. A discussion of his values and each with their own set ashes returned to probable protanopia can be found of challenges and opportunities to Australia.’ So ran in One of Cricket’s Greats: A Protan consider contact lens wear. His practice a mock obituary Mystery (D Baker, Optician, 09.11.07, was ‘care driven, not product driven’. for English pp32-4). He certainly did not have Practice opportunities included point ‘cricketT in the Sporting Times after the visual information ‘available to of sale material, trained and motivated England lost to Australia on home all’ but how much of a difference did staff, patient testimonials on display. soil for the first time, on 29 August it make to his ability to sight the ball? Practitioner opportunities included 1882, at the Oval. One of the oldest Once, when asked, he replied, ‘I never setting the expectations, having a international sporting rivalries, begun noticed its colour, only its size.’ How strategy, product knowledge, dispelling in 1877, now had a name: The Ashes. much better might he have been with myths and listening to patient needs. As England, the current holders, do normal colour vision? The question battle this winter to retain the urn, we is moot, but the English players of Promoting innovation look at some of the figures in Ashes the time would no doubt be thankful The expert line-up concluded with Phil history who have particular optical that they did not have to cope with Gilbert, the training and development connections. another Bradmanesque batsman in manager for Carl Zeiss Vision, Bob Woolmer, former Ashes the same Australian team. encouraging practitioners to actively player for England and respected identify areas where modern products international coach, wrote a could be of value to an individual monumental distillation of current Contact patient. The optical principles of scientific and practical cricket lens modern lens designs and equipment, knowledge which was published wearer have resulted in improved visual just after his untimely death during Geoff performance over and above traditional the 2007 World Cup. In The Art and Boycott designs. Progressives have significantly Science of Cricket (New Holland, sporting a advanced from mono, to multiform, 2008) he discusses at length the black eye and now design by prescription options visual problems that batsmen must are available. Our professional skill overcome when facing different types should be used to identify the various of bowling. visual needs of our patient, and to Regarding what makes the best Features Daily Mail/Rex identify problems before they happen. batsmen, he concludes, ‘But at the Geoff Boycott Multiple dispensing should be viewed core of their success is the ability of (England 1964-82) as an integral part of our professional their subconscious brains to process Geoff Boycott is not only one of the remit in order to satisfy the visual needs visual information, available to all, most famous cricketers in history, of our patients. He recommended more accurately and more rapidly he was also one of the most iconic a simple phrase to use at your next than others.’ And he cites the pithy spectacle-wearing players – until he dispense: ‘Since you had your previous summary of former Australian switched to contact lenses in 1969 lenses, technology has moved on…’ captain, Greg Chappell, in his The (a Kelvin contact lenses showcard At the end of the day, practitioners Making of Champions: ‘The brain showing Boycott batting in lenses left another step forward on their is a better cricketer than you’ll ever was produced in the early 1970s). journey of lifelong learning, with new be.’ But what if the same visual That season started well for him with or reinforced knowledge and inspired information is not available to all? his county, Yorkshire, but a run of to meet the varying and multiple needs three ducks in four test innings put of eye care to serve the whole family. Bill Ponsford a dampener on it. During the 1977 There are lots of Lucys, Johns and (Australia 1924-34) Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, he was Annes out there – all with different Bill Ponsford was a contemporary at fault for running out his partner, visual needs, lots of opportunities for of Don Bradman, the greatest of Derek Randall, yet composed himself eye care practitioners to communicate all batsmen. Bradman averaged enough to complete a century. In spectacle and contact lens options and 99.94 in test matches, the next best the next test, at his home ground, educate patients to protect the health of in history being 60.97. Ponsford’s Headingley, he scored his 100th their eyes for life. ● test average was a still very decent career century and became one of opticianonline.net 03.12.10 | Optician | 17 Contact Lens Monthly the few players to be on the pitch for every minute of a match. Typical Boycott. On his test debut (at that time wearing spectacles), also against Australia, there is a story that the Australian skipper, Bobby Simpson, called over to the bowler, Graham MacKenzie, ‘Look at this four-eyed ****. He can’t **** bat, knock those **** glasses off him straight away!’ Only Boycott knows if that incident had any bearing on his subsequent switch to contact lenses. Bill Bowes (England 1932-46) Another bespectacled, quite myopic, cricketer. Standing at six-foot-four, ungainly-looking, he couldn’t bat or field, but he was a fine fast-medium bowler for Yorkshire and England. He played in two home Ashes series, but managed only one test in Australia, on the ‘Bodyline’ tour of 1932-33. Bodyline, or leg-theory, was a strategy of bowling short at the batsman’s body to a packed leg-side field, developed by England captain Douglas Jardine expressly to combat the genius of Don Optometrist plucked Steele, a journeyman batsman Geoff Lawson Bradman. Bowes’ most famous wicket and test from Northamptonshire with a modest (Australia 1980-89) came in the second test, at Melbourne, cricketer record, from relative obscurity. Greig Geoff Lawson has many strings to in December 1932. Bradman had Geoff Lawson sensed in Steele the toughness to face his post-playing career including missed the first test, and was greeted graduated the twin fast bowling menaces of Lillee broadcasting (he comments on with thundering applause on coming from the and Thomson, then in their pomp. The cricket on television, radio and in out to bat. So much so that Bowes University of second test was at Lord’s. On going out print), public speaking, fundraising, had to interrupt his run-up to wait for New South to bat, Steele famously descended one coaching and university and sports the cacophony to subside. During this Wales in flight of stairs too many in the pavilion, administration. He is also a qualified pause he decided to move one of his 1984 almost ending up in the lavatory. But optometrist, graduating from the fielders. A second attempt at running in he made a gritty 50, and followed this University of New South Wales in also had to be aborted as the applause up with three more half-centuries in 1984. Lawson announced himself to continued, so he made another field the series. He could not prevent a series the cricketing world (and endeared change while waiting. He noticed that defeat, but a point had been made about himself to fellow Australians) by Bradman had observed these changes facing up to intimidating bowling. Such hitting and then dismissing Boycott carefully, which would have suggested was the effect of his efforts against as a bowler for NSW playing against to him that he was about to receive a Australia, he was named BBC Sports the England XI in 1978. Fate put bouncer. So Bowes bluffed Bradman: Personality of the Year 1975. And as a him on the receiving end 10 years instead of pitching the ball short, his cricket coach at Oakham School, he has later when he had his jaw broken by delivery was slightly slower and fuller. had a hand in nurturing Stuart Broad, Curtly Ambrose, playing against West Bradman, already in position to hook one of England’s current stars. Indies in a test at Perth. In all, he took the anticipated bouncer, had to adjust 180 test wickets, 97 of which were his shot and, in doing so, played the ball against England. As captain of NSW onto his stumps. Bradman, out first ball he espoused a playing philosophy of for nought! ‘get on or get out’ which influenced heavily NSW batsmen and future David Steele Australian captains, Mark Taylor (England 1975-76) and Steve Waugh. They led David Steele only played in one Ashes phenomenally successful teams and series. But he made a huge impact at the were all-conquering in Ashes series.

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