Des Bishop, a popular Irish comedian, has a joke about a gang leader from Limerick being interviewed by the Irish press. A rival gang had hired an assassin. "He tried to kill me! Shot me three times in the leg!" the man said before adding, "He should have gone to Specsavers!"
For many, the catchphrase for the British High Street opticians is synonymous with getting affordable trendy glasses. Yet so often, we turn a blind eye (pardon the pun) to the true purpose - corrective vision. There is a vanity issue with eyes. No matter how stylish the frame, spectacles just cannot shake their librarian image. Men and women go about their daily lives in a blur and consistently risk road accidents simply because they do not want to be seen in their prescriptive lenses. Others accept the deterioration of their eyesight with age and rock up to the chemists to purchase the 99p reading glasses without thought to having a proper eye check. Failing eyesight is not just about becoming long or short sighted, it can also be a symptom of serious eye diseases such as glaucoma or of other illnesses like diabetes. What is more, there are forms of blindness and sight loss that are completely preventable if they are caught early enough.
Eye health has finally come to the fore of health promotion. In 2007, the UK Vision Strategy was launched. It aims to improve the eye health of the nation, to prevent sight loss, improve eye care services and to support those with sight loss. Raising public awareness of maintaining eye health is a priority. People will be encouraged to become more concerned about the importance of eye health, about regular eye testing. Typically, you should have your eyes tested every 2 to 3 years. It can be disheartening to learn the you may need glasses or contact lenses or that your eyesight has worsened over time but the test detects early warning signs of disease. Eye checks can also pick up colour blindness, a genetic condition that affects both men and women. Though incurable, knowledge of colour blindness can help those affected to improve their management of it in everyday life.
Since 2006, free NHS eye examinations have been available in Scotland. In England, people still have to pay for eye tests. Opticians offer free eye examinations from time to time. Some people are eligible for free eye tests on the NHS (e.g. students, the unemployed, pensioners). Ask your GP or local pharmacist for more details.
Our eyes are an integral part of our very being. Still we overlook how much we depend on them - not just to appreciate scenery and beauty but without them, life in western societies can be unaccommodating. There is an old saying that hindsight is 20/20. Don't let that be true of your vision, look after your eyes today!