THE third week of September is National Eye Health Week. In this annual event opticians, charities, and health providers work together to promote the importance of regular sight tests and the ways in which you can keep your eyes healthy.
This year, between 18-24 September, Support 4 Sight will be out and about, both online and across west Essex, offering tips on protecting your eyes and support for people living with sight loss.
In the run-up to this annual event, they will be distributing their leaflets at as any outlets as possible (opticians, GP surgeries, libraries, etc) so that anyone living with, or at risk of, sight loss knows where to turn. Please look out for this leaflet if you, or someone you know, could make use of it.
In the meantime, here are the Top Tips for Healthy Eyes:
- Get a regular sight test (at least every 2 years): A sight test can detect early signs of conditions like glaucoma, which can be treated if found soon enough, as well as providing early identification of other health conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
- Don’t smoke: it increases risk of macular degeneration and cataract.
- Get moving: exercise can reduce the risk of sight loss from narrowing or hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure and diabetes.
- Wear eye protection in bright sunlight. Sunglasses should have the CE mark.
- Eat well: especially green veg, oily fish, eggs, bright coloured food eg. carrots, oranges, corn.
(Photo: Liz Sandwell holding Support4Sight’s contact information poster).
Liz Sandwell, Outreach and Comms Coordinator, Support 4 Sight, said, “We all know how important our eyes are to us but many of us let our sight tests lapse, and are not aware of some of these life hacks to help maintain eye health. Simple things can make a big difference.”
Sharon Schaffer, CEO of Support 4 Sight said, “National Eye Health Week is an important awareness raising fixture in the calendar. For those seeking advice, support or information Support 4 Sight offers all around services for people, and their families, who are living with or have concerns about sight loss. Please get in touch.”
Support 4 Sight can be contacted on:
01799 588897 or 01245 933572
