ANSLEY WORKMAN

COLUMNIST

IF LIKE me, you’re doing your best to tick all the healthy lifestyle boxes, you might need an extra bit of motivation as the long dark nights creep in.

Fridges bulging with fresh salads become cupboards bursting with comfort food. Reaching those 10,000 steps a day is a lot more challenging in our glorious Welsh wet winter weather. As the days get shorter and we have so much to get done, who has the time to book that allimportant sight test?

While we’re aware of combating the dangers of serious conditions like Type 2 diabetes, heart attack and stroke, how many of us think about how we can reduce our risk of sight loss?

But what if I told you that at least half of all sight loss is avoidable? We know that our sight is the sense that we fear losing the most, but so many of us have no idea that we have the power to protect and preserve it.

Currently in Wales there are an estimated 111,000 people living with sight loss, a figure that is set to double by 2050. For some, sight loss is completely unavoidable, but for others there are simple changes we can make that could help protect our eyes.

This Eye Health Week (September 23-29) I would love to see readers committing to one or two of these simple steps, which you can take to reduce your risk of sight loss:

■ Book your eye test – We all have a huge to-do list at home and booking regular eye tests can easily drop to the bottom. But they’re more than just a chance to get new glasses or contact lenses, they’re vital check-ups for your eyes. By attending, you’ll be making sure that any signs of eye disease are detected early. It is especially important that children see their optician regularly because they might not know whether their vision is normal or not, particularly when some eye conditions only affect one eye.

■ Wear your sunglasses – Your skin isn’t the only thing you need to protect from the harmful rays of the sun. Though we’re getting closer to winter, it is vital to remember that you should always protect your eyes when you’re out in the sunshine and don’t look at the sun directly. So, take two minutes to check that your sunglasses have the CE, BS and UV400 marks which show that they have the right level of ultraviolet protection. If they don’t, then it is a good excuse to snap up a new pair in the sales.

■ Know your family eye history – Glaucoma is a condition which, if detected early, can be treated and controlled. It can be hereditary, so if family members have the condition you need to get your eyes tested more regularly.

■ Clean your contact lenses – Make sure that you only use commercially prepared solutions when you’re cleaning your lenses. Never use tap or distilled water, or saliva. If you don’t stick to a strict cleansing routine, your eyes can become infected and you risk corneal disease or even the loss of an eye. Don’t sleep in your contacts unless advised you can by your optician.

■ Eat well – A healthy diet is hugely beneficial, not only for your eyesight but for your general health. Specifically, antioxidants can help keep your eyes functioning healthily. Foods to make sure you’re including plenty of are broad leafy greens like kale and spinach as well as colourful fruit and vegetables like carrots, oranges, sweet peppers and corn. Other antioxidantrich foods include eggs, broccoli and oily fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel.

■ Get active – Being more active and getting plenty of exercise can help improve your overall health, particularly reducing your risk of developing conditions which can have an impact on your eye health like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and hardening or narrowing of the arteries.

■ Stop smoking – It may surprise you that after aging, smoking is the second-biggest risk factor for developing one of the leading causes of sight loss, macular degeneration. Smoking also increases your chances of developing cataracts.

■ Protect your eyes – Cleaning, DIY and gardening can all be hazardous to your eyes, so make sure you wear protective eyewear.

If you just remember to adopt even one of the changes in this list, then you’ll be making a huge difference to your eye health now and in the future.

For more eye health information, visit www.rnib.org. uk. To find out more about sight loss, contact RNIB’s helpline on 0303 123 9999.

■ Ansley Workman is director of RNIB Cymru