National Eye Health Week (19 – 25 September 2022) Aims to Help Improve the Nation's Eye Health.

Sep 20, 2022 Eye Care

 

National Eye Health Week this year runs from the 19th to the 25th of September. The aim of this awareness week is to help educate people of all ages on the importance of looking after their eyes and how best to do this.  According to VisionMatters, up to two million individuals in the UK are living with some degree of sight loss. What is eye-opening (pardon the pun) is that as much as half of that sight loss could have been or be avoidable.   

 

Looking after your eyes is something that can become an easy part of your regular health and wellbeing routine. We share tips and products to help you maintain good eye health.

 

Get an Eye Test - Regular Checks are Essential

 

Routine check-ups for your eyes are important. Not only can your optician check your vision, but they are also able to catch problems you might be unaware of, refer you for more tests, offer eye care support and more. Diabetes is just one condition which might be picked up during a routine eye test. Visiting the optician is far from “just” checking to see if you need glasses or a new prescription, although this is an important part of their eye care offer. 

 

Follow Eye Care Advice

 

If you go to the dentist and you are advised to brush your teeth more and to floss but choose not to, what happens? The chances are that you increase your risk of future problems which could have been avoided. The next dentist appointment might not be so positive and you could end up kicking yourself for not following the advice given.

 

The same applies to eye care. By regularly and proactively prioritising your eye health you vastly reduce the risk of many issues occurring and can improve or effectively treat issues as they arise.

 

Everyday Eye Care

 

Hands up if you spend too much time on a computer screen or a similar device.
Do you suffer from tired, itchy or dry eyes?
Most minor eye care issues can be helped by making small changes or using a suitable product to stop an irritation before it becomes an issue. There are many reasons for dry eyes but you can find relief by using something like Hycosan Fresh, a preservative-free eye drop for lubricating and soothing the eye.

 

As for tired eyes due to excessive screen time, consider additional breaks, alter your screen set up, consider how effective the light around you is and similar. Small changes often make a big difference.

 

Lifestyle changes can also go a long way toward protecting your eyes. According to Vision Matters, “For healthy eyes, eat well, don’t smoke and wear eye protection in bright sunlight”. Great advice!

 

Help With Eye Drops

 

Does anyone else hear, “Eye drops” and shudder? Everyone has something that they aren’t keen on and for some, it’s putting eye drops in. The Autodrop eye drop guide offers a simple but effective tool to help you get those eyedrops where they need to be, eliminating blinking and mess. 

 

A top tip for those who have eye drops administered by someone else; ask them to drop them near the corner (at the nose). They then wash over the eye and you are much less likely to flinch or back away. Yes, we have some in the Simply Med Online team who is not keen on eye drops but who finds a way to make it work because effective eye care is important.

 

Eyewash and Sterile Wipes for Soothing and Cleaning

 

Having eyewash to hand, such as the Optrex Multi-Action Eye Wash offers convenient and safe eye cleaning. Perfect for when dust or grit gets into your eyes, making them feel sore, irritated and tired. Optrex comes with a handy eye bath to make using it easy and sterile wipes can be useful to have nearby, being preferable to using something less suited for the delicate eye area. Think of these types of products as being a household staple, the same way that you’d usually always have plasters and painkillers in stock.

 

Supplements for Boosting Eye Health

 

There are easy and convenient to take food supplements that have been specially designed to offer maximum eye care benefits. The Macushield supplement for healthy eyes is one example of a popular supplement which contains Meso-Zeaxanthin, Zeaxanthin and Lutein, all of which are found within the macular and which help with detailed vision. One capsule a day can form a valuable part of your eye care routine.

 

In Conclusion

 

Vision Matters work hard to champion the eye care cause and does a great job during National Eye Care Week and beyond. They share great tips on the best way to protect your eyes, debunk unhelpful myths and more. Their Twitter feed via @myvisionmatters is a great place to visit for eye care information and support. If you’re not a Twitter fan, do visit their website to read more.

Ultimately you are responsible for prioritising your own eye health so make sure that you attend regular checkups, and see an optician or doctor if something pops up, (such as Pink Eye or Conjunctivitis, where antibiotics like Golden Eye can be particularly useful). Fresh eyes that do what you need them to can take a little work but it’s worth putting the effort in. 

Our eyes aren’t something we can take chances with.