The risks of missing routine eye exams
SPECSAVERS Ópticas is urging people to make their eye health a top priority amid growing concern that symptom-free conditions are going undetected during the pandemic.
Mike Stone, a store director at the Specsavers Ópticas Jávea and Calpe stores, says: ‘There is a genuine concern that some people may have a symptomfree condition that has gone undetected because they failed to attend a pre-booked sight test. We estimate that approximately 7,500 Specsavers Ópticas customers forwent their sight test last year due to lockdown restrictions. Our stores remain open for appointments, with a series of hygiene and personal protection measures in place to ensure a safe and reassuring experience. We would urge those who have not seen an optician in more than two years to book an appointment as a matter of urgency.’
‘We recently detected a case of glaucoma in a customer who was experiencing no symptoms, but was at risk of irreversible blindness if the glaucoma progressed. He was very surprised that there was an issue, as he hadn’t noticed a change in his vision, which is very common. Using a combination of tests, we were able to identify possible glaucoma at its very early stages and refer the customer to a specialist who could prescribe drops to reduce the pressure and stop any damage being done to his eye.
This recent referral is an excellent example of the importance of eye tests. Millions of people around the world are living with eye conditions that increase their risk of sight-loss such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.
Many of these conditions do not have symptoms in the early stages and so patients are not aware of the problem until irreversible damage has been done. However, the good news is that 50% of sight loss is avoidable with early detection, which is why Specsavers Ópticas is urging customers to continue to attend their scheduled appointment and make sure that they visit the optician for an eye test every two years.
‘As an essential service, opticians are not affected by travel restrictions and we are open to provide the full breadth of optical services to customers. We are absolutely committed to making sure that everyone is taken care of in the best possible way, both in the test rooms and in the rest of the store. That’s why there are restrictions on the number of customers in the store at any one time, and we’ve introduced the highest hygiene and personal protection measures. Our number one priority is the safety and wellbeing of all our customers and colleagues, so every measure that we have taken is designed to put safety first. Please request an appointment in advance to help with social distancing.’
To request an appointment and find your nearest store log on to specsavers.es/stores. For more information, including the new protection measures, please visit specsavers.es