“Most of us tend to take our eyesight for granted. We may be aware that smoking, poor diet or being overweight can increase our risk of developing heart disease or cancer but fail to appreciate these factors can also affect eye health,” says Dr Susan Blakeney, spokeswoman for the College of Optometrists.
“Many people don’t realise that their eyes can also reveal symptoms of other conditions such as high cholesterol, raised blood pressure, diabetic retinopathy and thyroid disease. That’s why regular check-ups are vital.”
Click here to watch our video on how to look after your eyes
Why do you need an eye examination?
“You may put off an eye test because you don’t think there is anything wrong with your sight, but you can lose between 40 and 90% of your eyesight without noticing any differences in your vision,” says Dr Blakeney.
How frequently you need a check-up will vary according to your age, overall health, any eye conditions you have or family history, but if you notice a change between check-ups see an optometrist as soon as possible.
Read more about how to keep your eyes healthy
What can go wrong?
Although you should look after your eyes at every age, according to Professor Reinstein, expert laser eye surgeon and Medical Director of London Vision Clinic, being aware of eye health becomes even more significant as we get older. “Your thirties are a peak time for the eyes, because your prescription stabilises, your eyes are not dry and are healthy. But from 38 to 48, there’s a big change and you start needing to hold things closer or farther away from you to read. That’s your first wake-up call to aging”.
Common eyes diseases include glaucoma ¬– the silent blinding disease – where pressure of the fluid in the eye is too high and causes damage to the optic nerve and diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes where the retina (the light sensitive area of the back of the eye) and the blood vessels serving it become damaged.
Other common conditions include age-related macular degeneration that affects the macula, part of the retina, which is responsible for fine detail at the centre of your field of vision. Patients can’t see faces, detail on a TV screen or words in the centre of a page, but are left with some peripheral vision; and cataracts where the lens of the eye becomes cloudy and vision becomes less detailed.
Further information on laser eye surgery treatments can be found at www.londonvisionclinic.com.
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