Drivers urged to check eyesight
In the year of perfect vision, a Marlborough eye doctor is concerned by drivers on Blenheim roads with poor eyesight.
Blenheim optometrist Alan Brown said it was not uncommon to see patients driving on Marlborough roads who had never had their eyes tested before.
‘‘At least once a week I get people who are driving below the driving standard, but they’re convinced they’re fine,’’ Brown said.
‘‘Some people are driving trucks as well, which is even more concerning.’’
He said sometimes a crash or near miss could be the thing that prompted someone to visit the optometrist for the first time. Once or twice a year he saw patients that had had accidents, he said.
Reduced eyesight affected the brain’s ability to process information, which could have dangerous implications on the roads.
‘‘Long before it becomes so blurred that you can’t physically read it, you end up subconsciously concentrating on the actuality of keeping things simple, rather than taking in what you’re actually reading about,’’ said Brown.
‘‘The brain is consciously concentrating on actually trying to keep it clear rather than you reading passively and actually taking the information in.’’
While glasses could improve a person’s reading efficiency, it could also improve their ability to read signs and respond quicker on the roads.
A survey from Research New Zealand from last July found that Kiwis are generally more likely to visit the dentist than the optometrist.
Forty-one per cent of South Islanders claimed to have had an eye test in the last two years, compared to 86 per cent of New Zealanders who had visited the dentist in the past 12 months.
Brown believed this could be due to the absence of pain in most eye conditions, compared to dental problems.
‘‘Until you wake up one morning and part of your vision’s not there you don’t realise the problem that’s been brewing at the back of your eyes,’’ he said.
‘‘Ninety per cent of all eye diseases are quite treatable within the early stages of the disease.’’
Considering eye sight deteriorates with age, and Marlborough had one of the oldest populations in the country, Brown said Marlburians should be particularly vigilant to their eye health.
A routine eye check was recommended once every two years (unless there was a family history of glaucoma), and was free for children up until the age of 16.