Regular check-ups are essential to protect our vision and overall health yet many of us don’t take the time to think about the importance of caring for our eyes.
As National Eye Health Week approaches, Alex Gage, who runs two practices in Crosspool and Woodseats, urges Sheffield residents and new university students to prioritise booking an eye examination if they do not have one regularly.
Alex is backing the week-long campaign running from 24 to 30 September organised by Vision Matters, a charity that promotes the importance of eye health and the need for regular sight tests.
He said: “Routine eye examinations are crucial for not only helping to detect any problems with your vision, but they allow eye health professionals to also check for more general health problems and a wide range of conditions that can lead to sight loss if not treated in time.
“Half of all sight loss cases are preventable – and an eye examination can detect eye disease, such as glaucoma and other health conditions including diabetes, raised cholesterol, high blood pressure and increased risk of stroke.”
He added: “Raising awareness and educating people about the importance of looking after their eyes through regular testing and better lifestyle choices is absolutely vital to addressing the nation’s eye health problems.”
Eye examinations are free for the over 60s, children and students in full time education up to the age of 19.
The 2017 Generation Eye Report, commissioned by National Eye Health Week and Specsavers, found almost 14 million people in the UK have not had an eye test at least every two years as recommended, despite the fact that one in two had expressed worries about deteriorating vision later in life.
To find out about events taking place across Yorkshire for National Eye Health Week and to learn more about the campaign, visit www.visionmatters.org.uk.