‘Eyes are the window to EVERYTHING!’
It pays to stay on top of your eye health, says Woman’s Day columnist KERRI-ANNE KENNERLEY
The adage, “The eyes are the window to the soul”, has more truth to it when you add, “The eyes are the window to the soul AND health”.
I was amazed to realise a simple and routine eye test at the optometrist – like one I took at Specsavers recently – can show signs not only of macular degeneration and glaucoma, it can also reveal the presence of brain tumours, diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol. Many conditions have no early symptoms and can be dramatic and potentially fatal.
I had lens replacement surgery (like cataract surgery) several years ago, but my eyesight has deteriorated. I thought this was strange – the artificial lenses should be the best working part of my body until I die! But the eye-opener (excuse the pun) came when I discovered the breast cancer drug I take can affect my eyes.
It’s sad that body maintenance can become time-consuming but I have always been an advocate of health checks and early detection, especially with hereditary conditions.*
So as we gracefully stroll through the days of our lives, those tests mount up.
Mammograms, ultrasounds, blood tests, scans for our bones and body parts, stress tests, ECGS for the heart, prostate exams, colonoscopies, pap smears and visiting chiropractors, osteopaths, knee and hip doctors… now add eye tests to this growing list.
Even if you don’t think you need glasses, don’t take your eyes for granted. It’s so easy to forget our eyesight but hard to imagine living without vision.