How Best to Safeguard Your Sight
BY RNIB
1st Jan 2015 Health Conditions
It might not come as a surprise to learn that sight is the sense that the majority of us fear losing the most. After all, we live in an increasingly visual world and it’s hard to imagine how we’d maintain our independence if we couldn’t see.
Yet worryingly, many people are still not looking after their eyes properly and adopt a casual “it won’t happen to me” attitude. But sight loss does happen to all sorts of people. In the UK, someone loses their sight every 15 minutes, and thanks to an ageing population the number of people affected by sight loss is expected to double to a huge four million by 2050.
Around half of all cases of sight loss can be prevented, and by looking after your eyes properly you can minimise the risk of losing your sight.
First and foremost, everyone should have their eyes checked at least every two years, even if there’s been no change in vision. For people who don’t need corrective lenses, it’s very easy to assume that your eyes are fine, but some conditions such as glaucoma have no symptoms and an eye examination is the only way they can be identified. If you do experience any unusual symptoms, such as blurred vision or wavy lines, see your optician as soon as possible. They could be the sign of a condition such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which can cause sight loss in just a few months.
Eating healthily and maintaining a reasonable body weight can also help your eyes. A diet rich in leafy green vegetables could help reduce the chance of developing AMD or cataracts, and oranges, kiwis, nuts, seeds and oily fish can also prevent and slow down some eye conditions. For more ways to preserve your sight, click here.
For more eye-health information and to find out more about the work of RNIB, visit rnib.org.uk or call the Helpline on 0303 123 9999.
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