National Eye Health Week kicks off
As National Eye Health Week (NEHW) 2023 kicks off, Vision Matters is highlighting the NHS eyecare services and support that’s available at community eyecare practices.
The charity behind the annual campaign is also encouraging the public to ‘get back into the habit’ of having routine eye examinations, after data showed 4.7 million NHS sight tests had been lost since the pandemic disrupted people’s healthcare routines1 – and one in five had postponed or cancelled a sight test in the past year due to cost concerns2.
Speaking in support of the campaign, health minister, Neil O’Brien, said: “Regular sight tests are essential for everyone – half of sight loss could be avoided simply by having our eyes checked regularly – and free NHS testing is already available for several groups including children, people aged over 60 and those on income-related benefits. We are also making free eye tests available within all special school settings and during the past five years the National Institute for Health Research has invested more than £100m into research on eye conditions.”
The campaign comes as health analysts predict a million more people in Britain will suffer one of the four main causes of blindness in the next decade; with cases of late-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – the
UK’s leading cause of sight loss – estimated to rise 25 per cent by 2032, early-stage AMD (drusen) up 16 per cent, cataract 25 per cent, glaucoma 17 per cent and incidence of diabetic retinopathy up five per cent3.
A ‘Risk of future eye disease’ map (see above) – created for NEHW 2023 using statistical analysis of the Royal National Institute of Blind People sight loss data tool – highlights areas of the UK at increased risk of future eye disease, including Devon and Cornwall, Leicestershire and the London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Camden and Haringey.
Visit the Vision Matters website to see what it’s like to live with common eye diseases, such as AMD, cataract, glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy.
Read an exclusive interview with Katie Piper OBE and much more
The 2023 edition of Vista Magazine is also now available to view. It features an exclusive interview with broadcaster, model, best-selling author and activist, Katie Piper OBE, as she discusses living with vision impairment and how regular eye health checks are a “non-negotiable” for her family.
Katie says: “My own parents were very strict on routine sight tests when I was younger. I know the power of science, and often with eyes, how quickly things can change, so full eye health checks for my own family are a non-negotiable.”
The magazine also includes a host of advice on nutrition, lifestyle, fitness, fashion frames and more.
Eyecare practices still looking for materials to support their NEHW activities can log on to the Vision Matters website and ‘print your own’. The electronic resource centre also has a host of graphics and posts that can be used to spread the word on eye health across practices’ digital platforms and social media channels.
Print your electronic resources here.
1. Calculated using NHS GOS Statistics for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Comparison of sight test volumes for the period Apr 2017 – March 2020 Vs Apr 2020 – March 2023.
2. Survey of 2,003 UK Adults commissioned by College Optometrists, May 2023.
3. Calculated using RNIB, Sight Loss Data Tool V.5.2 accessed September 2023. Figures include patients in early stages of eye disease who might not have recognised symptoms.