A CRISIS in the NHS dental service seems to indicate that fewer and fewer people will bother to look after their teeth. Whether they are unable to pay private prices, or are simply without an NHS dentist, people will, without doubt, just stop making regular visits to their dentist.

Dentists themselves are increasingly frustrated by having their hands tied by the Government, with some deciding to leave the NHS and go private - not because they're wanting to make more money, but because they are frustrated by what they see as unnecessary and unfair meddling.

If the situation is not sorted out, and it seems it needs consultation with those who know best, the dentists themselves, it will inevitably lead to rotten teeth - and not just amongst older people. We could end up with generations of children whose teeth have been neglected from the start, all because their parents couldn't find an NHS dentist.

Just over a year ago Brenda Ackroyd made a routine visit to the optician - and saved her sight. The Ilkley grandmother was unaware she had any problems with her sight and was only visiting the Guiseley optician to try out a new range in contact lenses.

But she was left counting her blessings after trainee optician Nausheen Mumtaz spotted a torn retina in her right eye. She underwent laser surgery to repair the damage which could have left her blind in one eye within weeks.

Her case is a stark example of the importance of a new campaign launched by the Royal National Institute of the Blind this week.

The Open Your Eyes campaign reveals that more than half of all sight loss is avoidable - if problems are picked up early enough with a simple eye test.

The RNIB is urging everyone to have regular eye tests - and it's a message which Mrs Ackroyd heartily supports.