Why we need to focus on our eyes
National Eye Health Week runs between September 18 and 24. Here, co-regional chair of Specsavers in Wales Kevin McCarthy explains why it’s so vital to keep a close eye on our eyes
WALES, like the rest of the UK, is on the precipice of an eye health crisis. Nearly every family is now touched by sight problems in some way.
Last week, new research into UK eye health revealed a worrying one in five people in the UK will experience sight loss during their lifetime and almost six million people are now living with sightthreatening conditions.
Perhaps more shocking than these statistics is the fact that at least half of those with sight loss are suffering needlessly.
This was evidenced in a new report to coincide with National Eye Health Week called State of the Nation Eye Health 2017: A Year in Review.
Routine eye checks, at least every two years, are vital in the early detection and treatment of most eye conditions.
But nearly a quarter of those surveyed, by YouGov for the report, had not sought professional advice for sight loss symptoms they were experiencing.
In fact, people had their boiler serviced more regularly than they checked their eyes.
The report showed that one in five (21%) people in Wales who had not been for an eye test in the past two years were put off by the cost.
But if you’re registered with a GP in Wales and experience any unusual or uncomfortable eye symptoms, you can have a fully-funded bespoke test as part of the Welsh Government’s Wales Eye Care Services (WECS) programme, at a WECS-accredited optician.
This week, as part of an RNIB and Specsavers initiative to transform the nation’s eye health through awareness and action, an interactive sight loss simulator will roll onto Churchill Way in Cardiff.
The Eye Pod has two cameras on its roof, linking to screens inside where shoppers can view their surroundings as they would with symptoms of the four main eye conditions affecting people in Wales: age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and cataracts.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in people aged over 65 in the UK, and early diagnosis and treatment is key to prevent the rapid deterioration of your eyesight.
There are two types of AMD: wet and dry. Wet AMD is the more serious and less common of the two, and occurs when blood vessels grow beneath the macula – a small area at the centre of the retina that is responsible for your central vision.
These can leak and cause a sudden, significant decline in the central vision of the eye. If it’s caught early, however, treatment can help.
Dry AMD, caused by the breakdown of light-sensitive cells in the macula over several years, progresses more slowly and affects your ability to see fine detail.
It can impact everyday tasks, such as reading, watching TV and driving and while there is no treatment available, your optometrist can advise you on lifestyle changes that may slow its progression.
Meanwhile, left untreated glaucoma can result in sight loss. It is caused when fluid in the eye fails to drain, increasing the pressure inside the eye, which over time damages the optic nerve.
The most common type, primary open angle glaucoma, develops slowly with few noticeable symptoms until a relatively late stage.
Regular eye checks will enable earlier detection and treatment, reducing the chance of irreversible sight loss.
Once diagnosed, glaucoma can usually be controlled with eye drops.
An estimated 2.5 million people in Britain aged over 65 have visual impairment caused by cataracts – cloudy patches that develop in your eye, preventing some light from reaching the retina at the back of the eye and causing blurred vision.
They develop gradually and there are various treatments available, from spectacles through to surgery depending on the severity, so early assessment and diagnosis is important.
Diabetes affects at least 177,000 people in Wales, according to Diabetes UK, with nearly half a million people at high risk of developing it.
Diabetics are more at risk of developing eye complications than others.
Diabetic retinopathy is potentially a serious eye condition, which if left undiagnosed and untreated, can eventually lead to sight loss.
Early detection and treatments, together with lifestyle changes, can reduce the risk. Diabetics in Wales are screened annually for diabetic retinopathy through the Diabetic Eye Screening Wales Service, however, the need for regular eye health checks to screen for other conditions is still vitally important.
It is hoped the Eye Pod will provide people with a virtual glimpse of life with a degenerative eye condition and that, some, if not all, will reconsider their approach to looking after their eye health.
The Eye Pod is open on Churchill Way, Cardiff, between 9am and 6pm on Tuesday , September 12.