Emergency Eyecare is now available at Mackey Opticians with the recent extension of the NI PEARS&nbsp;(Primary Eye-care Assessment and Referral Service) throughout the Belfast and Southern Trust areas. Any of our practices in Belfast or Portadown can now offer the service free of charge.&nbsp;
NI PEARS is aimed at patients with sudden onset eye conditions such as:
<ul>
<li>Red eye(s)</li>
<li>Pain and/or discomfort in the eyes, around the eye area</li>
<li>Sudden reduction in vision in one or both eyes</li>
<li>Recent onset or sudden increase of flashes and/or floaters in one or both eyes</li>
<li>Suspected foreign body in the eye.</li>
</ul>
Mark Mackey said he is delighted to be able to provide the NI PEARS service.
“The new service reinforces that your optometrist should be your first port of call for eye problems. In most cases, the outcome will be advice, reassurance and minor treatment. If the problem is more serious, we can then help with appropriate advice and direct referral for specialist hospital eye care. Large penetrating injuries and chemical burns should still go straight to the Regional Acute Eyecare Service at the RVH ("Eye Casualty").
“Patients will be relieved and reassured that they can be seen quickly and assessed thoroughly in a convenient location. NI PEARS is provided free of charge to patients by the HSC. We see most people on the same day and so far everyone has been very pleased that we could help.”
"At present NI PEARS is only available in our Belfast practices as well as High Street Mall, Portadown. We are waiting for the scheme to be opened out to our practices in the Northern Trust and South Eastern Trust. Any patient however can travel from for example Bangor and be seen at one of our Belfast practices which may be more convenient than visiting the GP or Eye Casualty in an emergency. Alternatively you can visit any of our other practices but there may be a charge if you are a private patient or not due for your routine NHS Eye Examination."
Simply call your local Mackey Opticians and we will be happy to explain and book an emergency appointment.&nbsp;

Emergency Eyecare now available at Mackey Opticians

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Today is World Sight day.
World Sight Day&nbsp;(WSD) is an annual&nbsp;day&nbsp;of awareness to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment. It is coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness under the VISION 2020 Global Initiative.
More than one billion people are at risk of going blind globally by 2050 if the emerging myopia epidemic continues, researchers at the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.brienholdenvision.org/" target="_blank" title="Opens in a new window">Brien Holden Vision Institute</a>&nbsp;in Australia have warned.
The researchers predict that as a result of the growing incidence, up to one billion people who suffer with myopia will have a &ldquo;significant&rdquo; risk of going blind.
Currently, it is estimated that more than two billion people suffer with myopia around the world. However, researchers say that without behavioral interventions or the development of optical treatments, this could reach five billion in the next 35 years.
To mark Word Sight Day today (October 8), the Institute has issued a call to governments and health agencies globally to help halt myopia progression by funding research.
Acting CEO of the Brien Holden Institute, Professor Kovin Naidoo, said: &ldquo;Today is World Sight Day and the Brien Holden Vision Institute is calling on the world &ndash; from governments and health agencies, to civil society, parents and schools &ndash; to protect the eye health of every child and adult and meet this major public health challenge of our time.&rdquo;
He added: &ldquo;Firstly, the public must be made aware that this threat exists. Secondly, we need researchers and public health practitioners to develop effective solutions. Thirdly, eye care professionals need to be better equipped to manage patients at risk.&rdquo;
Myopia is particularly prevalent in East Asia. In some urban areas of Singapore, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea, for example, between&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nature.com/news/the-myopia-boom-1.17120" target="_blank" title="Opens in a new window">80%&ndash;90% of school leavers suffer with the condition</a>. However, the issue is spreading to Western countries also, with data from the US showing increased rates of myopia, with 25% of adults experiencing the condition in 1970 compared to 42% in 2004.
Professor Naidoo stressed: &ldquo;Myopia is not curable or reversible, but there are promising interventions using optical ad behavioral approaches that can help slow the progression and prevent people becoming highly myopic.&rdquo;
Calling on parents and teachers to also take action, he urged parents to encouraged their children to spend at least two hours outside a day, and to ensure that they are not spending long periods of time on electronic devices which force them to focus close up for extensive periods.
Professor Naidoo added: &ldquo;Teachers and parents should ensure that children are screened for vision problems at regular intervals and can also be vigilant in detecting and acting on vision problems among children.&rdquo; &nbsp;Although myopia is less prevalent in Northern Ireland than in East Asia, you should still encourage your children to have a regular eye examination throughout school.&nbsp;Please watch the video below in which four USA teachers are shown some of the common eyesight problems that children experience and realise that distance vision (20/20) is not always the most important thing.&nbsp;

World Sight Day

Parents are being told to make sure your child spends enough time outdoors or risk damage to their eyesight.
Parents have been advised to get their children outdoors to help combat an &lsquo;alarming rise&rsquo; in myopia flagged up by an Irish optical body.
The Association of Optometrists Ireland (AOI) has launched its Bright Eyes children&rsquo;s eye health campaign this week&nbsp;between November 2-7, encouraging families to put aside computer and video games, iPads and tablets, TV screens and to head outdoors instead.&nbsp;AOI optometric adviser Lynda McGivney-Nolan said latest international studies showed an alarming increase in myopia, particularly in urban areas.
She said: &lsquo;Short-sightedness is increasing by up to 80 per cent in some parts of the world &ndash; and there are clear signs of a significant rise in Ireland too. All of the major studies conclude that spending time outdoors on a daily basis, significantly reduces the risk of developing myopia. The message is clear, children need to get outdoors more to reduce this risk.
&rsquo;The campaign also focused on the early detection of children&rsquo;s eyesight problems &ndash; deemed critically important because vision problems led to learning difficulties and under-performance in school and in sporting activities.
Meanwhile, Dublin Institute of Technology professor of optometry James Loughman said that having even a mild level of myopia doubled the risk of getting glaucoma and cataract. &lsquo;It is surprising to most people to learn that myopia-related eye disease is the biggest cause of blindness in the working age population,&rsquo; he said. &lsquo;To put this into perspective, being short sighted is as bad for your eye health as smoking or high blood pressure is for your heart.
<img src="/images/Myopia2.jpg" alt="Myopia2" />
&rsquo;By some estimates, one-third of the world's population &mdash; 2.5 billion people &mdash; could be affected by short-sightedness by the end of this decade. In South Korea (Seoul),&nbsp;a whopping 96.5% of 19-year-old men are short-sighted.
Based on epidemiological studies, Ian Morgan, a myopia researcher at the Australian National University in Canberra, believes that children need to spend around three hours per day outside in bright daylight to be protected against myopia. His research which started in 2009, alongside studies in other schools across Sydney, Australia and Asia show that sending children outside during the day can have a rapid improvement on the prevention of short sightedness. Many researchers believe that it is up to schools to build more outside time into the daily curriculum as getting parents to enforce it voluntarily is extremely difficult. Some Chinese schools where getting outside is difficult have&nbsp;began piloting the idea of teaching kids in a classroom made of glass to let in more natural light instead. More information on these studies can be read in <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/the-myopia-boom-1.17120" target="_blank">"The Myopia Boom" in Nature</a>.&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Research shows that time spent indoors increases risk to childrens' eyesight

The idea for contact lenses dates as far back&nbsp;as Leonardo da Vinci and Ren&eacute; Descartes, but the idea of invisible vision correction didn&rsquo;t really take off until plastic materials became widely available.&nbsp;
In the 1930s, doctors began manufacturing lightweight, unbreakable plastic lenses to replace the now-terrifying glass contacts of the 19th century. A newsreel called &ldquo;New Look in Glasses,&rdquo; unearthed in the film archives of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.britishpathe.com/" target="_blank">British Path&eacute;</a>, shows exactly how involved the process of creating these early plastic contacts could be. The footage, which never aired, is from approximately 1948.&nbsp;
The doctor anesthetized the eye before pouring it full of plaster to make a mold, a sight that to the non-initiated, looks more like a horror movie than a medical procedure. The mold was then used to create a custom plastic lens. These hard plastic lenses, covering not just the cornea, but the entire eye, could only be worn for six to eight hours at a stretch beacuse there was little if no oxygen transferring through to the eye. Note the comment that if the vision starts to go hazy, then remove them for a couple of minutes (so the eye can breathe again...)
&ldquo;Contact lenses: invisible, and comfortable,&rdquo; the narrator intones. And expensive. The film reports that in America, these lenses cost&nbsp;&nbsp;&lrm;&pound;75&mdash;adjusting for inflation, that&rsquo;s about&nbsp;&nbsp;&lrm;&pound;2620 today. Ah, the price of frameless vision!

Contact lenses in 1948

A patient with wet AMD has received pioneering stem cell treatment at Moorfields Eye Hospital using a specially engineered patch inserted behind the retina in an operation lasting one to two hours.
The operation was described as a major milestone in the London Project to Cure Blindness &ndash; a partnership between the hospital, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, the National Institute for Health Research and Pfizer.
It formed part of a trial investigating the safety and efficacy of transplanting retinal pigment epithelium derived from stem cells to treat people with sudden severe visual loss from wet AMD.
<img src="/images/armd_1_7d3cce7bd8712a037b0117f44116917e.jpg" alt="" />
During the operation, which took place last month, cells were used to replace those at the back of the female patient&rsquo;s eye &ndash; with no complications to date. Surgeons hoped to determine her outcome in terms of initial visual recovery by early December this year.
&lsquo;There is real potential that people with wet age-related macular degeneration will benefit in the future from transplantation of these cells,&rsquo; said retinal surgeon Professor Lyndon Da Cruz from Moorfields Eye Hospital, who performed the operations and is co-leading the London Project.
The wider trial was recruiting 10 patients over an 18 month period, who would be followed for a year to assess the safety and stability of the cells and whether there is an effect in restoring vision.
Professor Pete Coffey of the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, added: &lsquo;We are tremendously pleased to have reached this stage in the research for a new therapeutic approach. Although we recognise this clinical trial focuses on a small group of AMD patients who have experienced sudden severe visual loss, we hope that many patients may benefit in the future.&rsquo;

Stem cell operation to reverse ARMD blindness

It is very well known that exercise can help keep your body healthy and help prevent heart problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and many other conditions.
<img src="/images/NEHlogo_4c078a7bfc1aea1655b12f68190f5abe.png" alt="" />
Regular exercise has recently been shown to be good for your eyes as well, and through exercise you can either prevent or improve the prognosis of many eye diseases.
By exercise for eyes,&nbsp;we are not talking&nbsp;in this article about the type of eye exercises that some people claim will improve your spectacle prescription, rediscover your reading or even improve your visual field in glaucoma. None of these claims have any credibility behind them.
Instead we are talking about regular cardiovascular exercise done as generally recommended - raising your heart beat for at least 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week - supported by a healthy lifetsyle and diet that we have discussed in other articles. Exercise has been found to either help or prevent many of the leading casues of adult blindness in Northern Ireland including glaucoma, age-related macuula degeneration and diabetic eye disease.&nbsp;
The following information is for guidnace only and to encourage regular exercise. The information should not replace that given by your GP or your Optometrist as part of your routine eye examination. Regular eye exams are essential to detect many preventable eye diseases which are symptomless in their early stages.
<h4>Glaucoma</h4>
The Journal of Investigative Ophthalmology &amp; Visual Science recently published studies that revealed causes and effects between risks for glaucoma and physical fitness. The journal reveals that exercising at higher levels has long-term benefits as it directly impacts on OPP (low ocular perfusion pressure), which is thought to affect glaucoma and a major risk factor. OPP is a balance between your blood pressure (BP) and the intra-ocular pressure (IOP) within your eyes, and improving the flow of blood through your eyes blood capillaries. The results showed that long-term moderate physical exercise is associated with a 25% reduced risk of low OPP later in life when glaucoma is more prevalent.
The research issues warnings that exercise is imperative to not only maintain the tone and shape of your body, but also helps in keeping a check to reduce various risk factors accountable to diseases, and in this case glaucoma.
Patients are also advised to limit their cigarette smoking because, if nothing else, it will improve their general health and hopefully improve their ocular perfusion. In terms of dietary habits, high antioxidants and low fat intake is advocated. Also limit caffeine intake, avoid head-down positions and, because of the possible beneficial effects of resveratrol, drink red wine in moderation. Recently tablets with&nbsp;resveratrol have been advertised without the ill-effetcs of alcohol consumption.&nbsp;
Chronic high blood pressure is also related to increase glaucoma - speculation is that the blood vessels narrow through athero-sclerotic changes throughout the body but it especially in the eyes, also reducing blood flow and OPP. The benefits of regular exercise in controlling high blood pressure are well reported.
<h4>Age Related Macular Degeneration</h4>
Experts are still not fully certain as to why the macula can degenerate with age, they do know that there are many controllable factors that can contribute to sight loss. Such factors include smoking, high blood pressure and diets high in fat. Moreover, these factors combined with obesity can increase the risk of macular degeneration significantly. Recently, two Ophthalmologists reviewed more than twenty studies involving thousands of patients across the world to determine the connection between weight and ocular health. Their study found a&nbsp;consistent&nbsp;link between obesity and the occurrence of eye disease.
The same study determined the following information:
<ul>
<li>Obese patients were more than twice as likely to lose more vision than those with normal BMI&rsquo;s.</li>
<li>The bigger a person&rsquo;s waist, the higher their risk of vision loss</li>
<li>Eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration are more likely to progress more quickly in obese individuals.</li>
<li>Exercising at least three times a week cut the risk of AMD getting worse by 25%</li>
</ul>
However, it was noted that protecting your eyes into old age is not as simple as losing a bit of weight. When it comes to preserving eyesight,&nbsp;early prevention is key. A healthy diet and lifestyle is also recommended.&nbsp;
Another study known as the Beaver Dam Eye Study looked at the relationship between exercise and AMD and concluded that increased walking of more than 30 minutes per day (one mile) decreased the incidence of wet macular degeneration by 30% over 15 years.
Moderate aerobic exercise has also been shown to help preserve the structure and function of nerve cells in the retina even after damage; meaning that you can actually slow down the progression of macular degeneration (or defer it entirely) if the degeneration has already started by taking care of your body. Morevover, a daily supplement with macula protective carotenoids like meso-zeaxanthin and lutein may possibly improve nutritional intake and further your visual preservation success.
<h4>Diabetic Retinopathy</h4>
Diabetic Retinopathy is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness. The benefits of exercise to both prevent diabetes through control of weight and blood pressure will lead to a reduction in diabetic retinopathy .&nbsp;
If you already have diabetic retinopathy - in particular proliferatve retinopathy, any exercises that increase blood pressure should be avoided.&nbsp;You need to avoid straining, jarring, or Valsalva-like maneuvers, lifting heavy objects and any vigorous exercise that could&nbsp;precipitate vitreous hemorrhage or traction retinal detachment. In addition, do not perform any exercise that requires forward bending such as yoga.&nbsp;Stick to non weight bearing exercise such as moderate intensity biking or walking in the pool. Or try slow, steady hiking, ballroom dancing or elliptical machines at low to moderate intensity.&nbsp;
The possible benefits of physical activity for the patient with&nbsp;type 2 diabetes&nbsp;are substantial, and recent studies strengthen the importance of long-term physical activity programs for the treatment and prevention of this common metabolic abnormality and its complications. Specific metabolic effects can be highlighted as follows - improved glycemic control and improvement of&nbsp;Vo2max&nbsp;(oxygen uptake), prevention of cardiovascular disease,&nbsp;reducing levels of hyperlipidemia, reducing blood pressure, improved fibrinolysis (clotting), reduced obesity.
Exercise is an absolutely vital part of&nbsp;type 1 diabetes&nbsp;treatment. Staying fit and active throughout your life has many benefits, but the biggest one for people with diabetes is that it helps you control your diabetes and prevent long-term complications.&nbsp;Exercise makes it easier to control your blood glucose (blood sugar) level by increasing your insulin sensitivity. After exercise, your body won't need as much insulin to process carbohydrates.
If your child has type 1 diabetes, making sure he or she gets enough exercise is not only a great way to help manage his or her diabetes but also instill healthy habits from an early age.&nbsp;
Exercise can also help people with type 1 diabetes avoid long-term complications, especially heart problems. People with type 1 diabetes are susceptible to developing blocked arteries (arteriosclerosis), which can lead to a heart attack. Exercise helps keep your heart healthy and strong. Plus, exercise helps you maintain good cholesterol&mdash;and that helps you avoid arteriosclerosis.
Additionally, there are all the traditional benefits of exercise:
<ul>
<li>Lower blood pressure</li>
<li>Better control of weight</li>
<li>Leaner, stronger muscles</li>
<li>Stronger bones</li>
<li>More energy</li>
</ul>
A Few Notes Before You Begin Exercising with Diabetes
If you don't currently exercise (or if your child isn't as active as he or she should be), talk to your doctor before starting. If you are an adult with diabetes, you should have a full physical to make sure you're ready to be more active.
Your doctor will be able to check your heart health, which is particularly important if you already have blocked arteries or high blood pressure. You also need to take into consideration any other diabetes-related complications&mdash;retinopathy or neuropathy, for example. As you begin an exercise program, your doctor can help you figure out the best exercise program that allows you to get in shape but doesn't push your body too far.
Before you begin exercising, you need to set realistic goals. If you haven't exercised much recently, you aren't going to jump into running a marathon. In fact, you aren't even going to jump into running a 5k.
Allow yourself some time to build up to a steady, challenging exercise routine. It is okay to slowly increase your physical activity&mdash;it's better for your body in the long run.
Finally, talk to your doctor and/or diabetic trainer about adjusting your (or your child's) insulin around exercise. You don't want to become hypoglycemic during a work-out, so you'll need to do some planning.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Run for your Eyes

The sixth annual National Eye Health Week (NEHW) takes place this week 21st &ndash; 27th September 2015. Once again, eye care charities, organisations and health professionals from across the UK&nbsp;are joining&nbsp;together to promote the importance of eye health and the need for regular sight tests for all.
Mackey Opticians will be offering eyecare advice on our website and facebook pages, in-store and in the local media where possible. If you would like to talk to one of our Optometrists about eye health , then please simply get in touch with your local Mackey Opticians practice.
Once again, a major theme is looking after your eyes and eating healthily.&nbsp;For example the <a href="http://www.macularsociety.org/How-we-help/national-eye-health-week?gclid=CIGbsr2YiMgCFQ63Gwodiz0PNA" target="_blank">Macular Society</a>&nbsp;have 18 different recipes for kale - a relatively cheap but tasty curly green vegetable that contains lots of the essential nutrients for the eyes including the macular pigments lutein and zeaxanthin. <a href="http://www.macularsociety.org/Resources/Macular%20Disease/Documents/PDF/kale-recipe-booklet-v5.pdf" target="_blank">You can download the recipes here</a>.
Vision really matters. Sight is the sense people fear losing the most, yet many of us don&rsquo;t know the best way to look after our eyes.
National Eye Health Week aims to change all that. Please help us by liking and sharing our eyecare advice throughout the week.

National Eye Health Week 2015

It must be August. Parents are getting their kids ready for the new school year and trying to remember everything that their children should have or have done before starting school. What have I forgotten?This can be especially important for parents of young children starting nursery school or primary school, especially if they haven't done it before. This is a guide to your children's vision, what you should expect to see if there are any problems and when you should bring them for their first eye examination.
<h4>Vision and Learning</h4>
It is estimated that 85% of a child's learning at school is visual so it is very important to make sure that your children's vision is as perfect as possible. Vision is also needed in the fun things at school as well as learning to read or write.&nbsp;During their first school years from ages 3 to 6, your child will be fine-tuning the vision and visual skills he/she already has developed during the infant and toddler years. Early school vision tasks vary with a child's age and activities.&nbsp;For example, many young kids in nursery may be learning to ride tricycles and master the complex eye-hand coordination needed to pedal, steer and watch where they're going at the same time. Alternatively, older children starting primary school may be learning how to integrate vision and body motions (motor skills) by playing sports such as football (keep your eye on the ball!), or working on the fine motor skills needed to write their names.
<h4>Warning Signs of Vision Problems</h4>
If you have children between the ages of 3 and 6, be aware of these warning signs of possible early school vision problems:
<ul>
<li>Consistently sitting too close to the TV or holding a book too close</li>
<li>Squinting</li>
<li>Tilting the head to see better</li>
<li>Frequently rubbing eyes, even when not sleepy</li>
<li>Shielding eyes or other signs of sensitivity to light</li>
<li>Excessive tearing and watery eyes</li>
<li>Closing one eye to read, watch TV or see better</li>
<li>Avoiding activities that require near vision, such as colouring or reading, or distance vision, such as playing ball or tag</li>
<li>Complaining of headaches or tired eyes</li>
</ul>
Book an appointment with your optometrist if your child exhibits any of these signs.
<h4>Refractive Errors</h4>
The most common early school vision problems are refractive errors (spectacle prescriptions):
<ul>
<li>Long sightedness is very common in young children. Excessive long-sightedness can lead to strabismus, otherwise known as a squint or turn.&nbsp;If strabismus is due solely to uncorrected long-sightedness, wearing properly prescribed eyeglasses or contact lenses often can straighten the eyes. Strabismus surgery usually is required if your child has severely crossed eyes or constant strabismus not caused by long-sightedness.Untreated strabismus can lead to amblyopia. If not treated, eventually the amblyopic eye "shuts off" and vision may be permanently lost.</li>
<li>Short-sightedness, also called myopia, is another common early school vision problem although much rarer than long-sightedness in young children. Myopia makes it difficult to clearly see the white-board and other distant objects. In most cases, short-sightedness can be completely corrected with glasses or contacts. Myopia often develop later in life and is more common in children over 8 years old or teenagers.</li>
<li>Astigmatism often causes blurred or distorted vision at all distances. Like short and long- sightedness, astigmatism usually can be corrected completely with glasses or contact lenses.</li>
</ul>
Your child can also have eye coordination or focusing problems that may or may not be associated with refractive error. Vision therapy and eye exercises may help - please ask your optometrist for more information.
<h4>The First Eye Exam</h4>
Even if your child exhibits no symptoms of a refractive error or other vision problems, he should have an screening test by a health visitor by the age of 6 months and a full eye examination at age 3 years.&nbsp;Having a complete eye exam before your child enters school allows enough time to catch and correct any vision problems that may interfere with learning.&nbsp;For this reason, we also recommend that children without symptoms should receive another eye exam in P1/ P2.Should your child require correction for any visual problem, we recommend an exam every 6 months. A regular eye exam allows your optometrist to stay on top of your child's visual needs, as well as ensure that your child's prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses is still correct. During the school years, your child's visual system is developing along with the rest of her body, so annual eyeglass prescription changes are common.Make sure your child receives a comprehensive eye exam from an optometrist, not just vision screenings from school nurses or pediatricians.&nbsp;Vision screenings may help spot problems, but they often miss them, too, because they are not complete tests and generally concentrate on distance vision, missing out on reading problems.
<h4>Motivating Your Child To Wear Eyeglasses</h4>
<ul>
<li>If your child needs to wear eyeglasses, get him involved in selecting the eyewear &mdash; if he helps choose the frame, he will be more motivated to wear the glasses.</li>
<li>Also, explain the benefits of the glasses to him, using specific examples &mdash; such as, "Your new glasses will help you see the ball better when you play catch."</li>
<li>Book the eye exam and glasses selection at a time that's good for your child. As you know, some kids are more focused early in the day, while others come to life after lunch or an afternoon nap.</li>
<li>Don't visit the eye doctor when your child is tired, cranky or hungry.</li>
<li>First, select a few frame styles for your child with the help of an experienced optician. Then give your child the final choice of the glasses he'll wear.</li>
<li>Make the outing a positive event, discussing how lots of people he knows wear glasses, and how they see much better.</li>
<li>Make sure the frames you choose are fitted properly for your child and are comfortable. No one, especially a child, will wear uncomfortable glasses.</li>
</ul>
Eye examinations are free of charge for children. <a href="http://www.mackeyopticians.com/articles/offers/free-kids-glasses.html">Mackey Opticians also offer a wide range of spectacles that are free with a NHS voucher. </a>
<a href="http://www.mackeyopticians.com/practices/mackey-opticians-practices/">Book an appointment today for a free eye examination for your child</a>

Vision Problems in Early-school Children 

Millions of drivers over the age of 45 could be risking losing their driving licence and potentially their vision, by not taking an eye test every 1-2 years as recommended by the International Glaucoma Association (IGA). According to a new survey of 1,000 over 45s, commissioned by the IGA, 25% of Northern Irish surveyed said they had not had an eye test in the last five years, compared to the national average of 14% who haven&rsquo;t had an eye test in the last five years. The survey also showed a marked difference between men and women nationally, as 21% of men said they hadn&rsquo;t had an eye test in the last two years, compared with 16% of women.
The IGA commissioned the survey for National Glaucoma Awareness Week (8th-14th June 2015). This year&rsquo;s campaign, &lsquo;Can You See to Drive?&rsquo;, encourages people to have regular eye health checks to ensure that they are safe to drive. It is only with regular eye health checks through a local optometrist (optician) that people will know if their driving vision is affected. This is particularly important with glaucoma as it has no symptoms in the early stages, but, with early detection and continued treatment people will often retain useful sight for life and will be safe to drive for many years. In fact 33% of Northern Irish did not know what glaucoma is, compared with the national average of 16% who don&rsquo;t have any knowledge of the condition. Also, only 17% of Northern Irish surveyed correctly knew there are no early symptoms of glaucoma.
There are an estimated 600,000 people with glaucoma in the UK, but 300,000 are undiagnosed. Advanced glaucoma leads to serious loss of sight. As there are no early symptoms of the condition, it is vital people over the age of 40 have regular eye health checks every one or two years.
The IGA survey suggests that lack of time and money could be preventing people from having eye tests, as when asked for reasons for not having an eye test, 46% of Northern Irish surveyed worry about the cost, 17% said they don&rsquo;t think they need a test and 12% said it takes too much time. Nationally, men are more likely than women to think they don&rsquo;t need an eye test: 17% compared with 7%.
People with glaucoma that has caused damage to vision in both eyes are required by law to report their condition to the DVLA. If they fail to do so they can face a criminal conviction, a fine up to &pound;1000 and may be uninsured to drive. The IGA is concerned that its survey showed 16% of Northern Irish surveyed wouldn&rsquo;t report glaucoma to the DVLA if advised by a health professional, either because they think it would stop them from driving, or because they don&rsquo;t think they need to, compared with the national average of 5% who wouldn&rsquo;t report the condition.
Nationally, men are much more likely than women to withhold information from the DVLA: 10% and 3% respectively.
No less worrying was the fact that nationally, 6% of men surveyed said they have had, or nearly had, a car accident owing to their own, or someone else&rsquo;s poor sight, compared with just 2% of women who said this.
Russell Young, CEO of the International Glaucoma Association comments, &ldquo;The majority of us wouldn&rsquo;t take our cars on the road without an annual service and MOT yet, we are happy to put ourselves behind the wheel without knowing if we can see safely to drive. A visit to the optometrist will quickly check our vision safety and detect if there is any risk of glaucoma. Without regular checks the condition can go unnoticed, causing serious sight loss and the possible loss of a driving licence.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Around 10 per cent of the calls we receive to our helpline (01233 64 8 178) are from people worried about whether their glaucoma is going to affect their ability to drive. Yet the majority of those that report to the DVLA will not need further tests, and of those that do, the majority will be found safe to drive&rdquo;, Young concludes.
<h3>Glaucoma &ndash; What You Need to Know</h3>

<ul>
<li>Glaucoma is the name given to a group of eye conditions in which the main nerve to the eye (the optic nerve) is damaged where it leaves the eye. This nerve carries information about what is being seen from the eye to the brain and as it becomes damaged vision is lost.</li>
<li>Glaucoma is more common in people over the age of 40. There is at least a four times increased risk of developing glaucoma if you have a close blood relative with the condition (father, mother, brother, sister, or child).</li>
<li>There are no early symptoms of glaucoma</li>
<li>Symptoms of advanced glaucoma include missing, patchy vision and even serious loss of vision</li>
<li>Regular eye health checks (every two years, or every 1-2 years for over 40s) will detect conditions such as glaucoma, which is important given there are no early symptoms</li>
<li>With regular treatment for glaucoma, vision and driving licences can be protected</li>
<li>Most people with glaucoma will be safe to drive for many years, but it important to alert the DVLA to the condition if advised by an ophthalmologist.</li>
<li>The majority of people (nine out of 10) who report glaucoma to the DVLA will be passed as safe to drive (DVLA 2013*)</li>
<li>The IGA has a leaflet on glaucoma and driving, which is approved by the DVLA, which can be accessed by visiting www.glaucoma-association.com or via Sightline by calling 01233 648170</li>
</ul>

Northern Irish Over 45 Shun Eye Tests Which Could Protect their Driving Licence and Vision 

Guess who's arrived at Mackey Opticians!
Elsa, Anna, Olaf and Kristoff from Disney's Frozen...
We have only limited numbers of this exclusive range of 12 Frozen spectacles unfortunately due to their very high popularity. Please get down quickly to save disappointment.&nbsp;
Frames will be viewable on our Gallery as soon as we can load them

Elsa, Anna and Olaf arrive at Mackey Opticians 

Friday morning will see the most spectacular eclipse of the sun for 15 years, in a rare astronomical alignment as the Moon will pass directly between the sun and the Earth, blocking out most of the light. Viewers in the UK will witness a partial eclipse of at least 80%, depending upon location.
Don&rsquo;t lose sight of your eyes during the eclipse. Here are a few top tips to ensure that the public view the eclipse safely without damaging their eyes:
1. Never look directly at the sun or use any instruments like binoculars, telescopes or cameras to view the sun directly. Doing so can permanently damage your eyesight.
2. The only safe way to view the eclipse is indirectly, through a device such as a pinhole projector. This cheap and easy method projects the sun&rsquo;s image onto a screen, such as a sheet of white paper or cardboard.
3. Never point an unprotected camera lens at the sun as this can cause permanent damage to the camera and to your eyes. To take photos of the sun without damaging your camera, you will need to use a solar filter recommended by your camera manufacturer. Do not look through your camera to view the solar eclipse.
The only safe way to view the sun is indirectly and perhaps the best way to get a good view sadly is to watch it on television. :)
Solar eclipse sunglasses are cheap and do absorb a lot of the Suns UV rays etc but are easily damaged or scratched so cannot be relied upon.
PLEASE NOTE - WHEN WE SAY DAMAGE, WE MEAN PERMANENT DAMAGE CAUSED BY RETINAL BURNS WHICH MAY MEAN PERMANENT BLINDNESS. BE WARNED.

Solar Eclipse 

Emergency Eyecare now available at Mackey Opticians

More posts:

World Sight Day

Research shows that time spent indoors increases risk to childrens' eyesight

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