Sight Saving in the UK

Lions Clubs in the UK have launched a new Community Service project, the Lions Eye Health Programme, to raise public awareness of the two major causes of preventable blindness in this country – Glaucoma and Diabetic Retinopathy. Together, these account for a quarter of all registered blind in the UK.

Both can be treated, but neither condition gives any warning symptoms until a late stage when much irreversible damage has already been done to a person's sight, so it is essential they are diagnosed in their early stages.

Glaucoma

The healthy eye contains a clear fluid which is constantly renewed and circulated. With glaucoma, the channels removing excess fluid from the eye become blocked. Pressure builds up damaging the optic nerve that carries sight signals to the brain.

High-risk groups include

• People with a family history of glaucoma;
• People over 40 – 1 in every 50 are affected;
• People of African Caribbean origin – at least 5 times more likely to develop the disease compared to the national average;
• People with very short sight.

Half of these people do not realise they have been affected until they are partially blind – but diagnosis is simple. Your optician carries out two extra tests in an otherwise normal eye check - Tonometry, a "puffer" check of pressure in the eye-ball, and Perimetry, a check of your edge vision where you look for spots of light flashed onto a monitor screen. The tests are short and painless – but *COULD SAVE YOUR SIGHT*

You should ask for the extra tests because extensive research has shown a four-times increased glaucoma detection rate with all three compared with results after just the one mandatory test (ophthalmoscopy). With a condition which cannot be made better, but which can be controlled so that further damage is stopped or very considerably slowed down, early detection is the key to the prevention of blindness.

The cost is included in the normal NHS charge (free if there is a family history of glaucoma) but *YOU DO NEED TO ASK TO BE TESTED FOR GLAUCOMA*

Diabetic Retinopathy

This affects people with diabetes.

Blood vessels in the eye become damaged and can swell or leak blood. In severe cases the back wall of the eye, the retina, which contains the vision cells, is damaged.

Your optician will use eye-drops to enlarge the pupils, so he can see inside your eyes with an opthalmoscope. If necessary, eye-drops or Laser treatment will be used to repair or seal the damaged vessels. Quick and painless.

What should you do?

If you are in any of the high-risk groups, two simple things –

• Have your eyes checked - every year if you are a diabetic, every two years if in a high-risk glaucoma group.
• Tell the optician when you book your appointment why you want the extra tests.

The tests are painless, quick and simple but not every optician has the necessary equipment, so people should check the availability when making an appointment for an eye examination.

Remember - it's your SIGHT at risk!