Keeping an eye on National Eye Health Week

Why not take the opportunity of National Eye Health Week to think about your own eyes? Making a few changes now could help to avoid conditions such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic maculopathy and diabetic macular oedema which can lead to a variety of problems including blurred vision, blank patches and even permanent sight loss.

Many of the things that can contribute to eye health, especially diabetes related complications, are controllable:

Firstly, get regular eye tests which will help detect any problems before they fully develop allowing time for treatment.

Secondly, if you smoke, give up now! Smoking increases the risk of nerve damage as well as kidney and cardiovascular diseases. It also makes it much more difficult to manage conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

Thirdly, take a critical look at your diet and other lifestyle habits. 

Do you eat at least five portions of vegetables and fruit a day?

Do you eat oily fish every week?

Do you minimise the amount of sugar you eat, including in drinks, cakes, biscuits?

Do you incorporate movement within your day, maybe walking, swimming or dancing?

Are you above your ideal weight, maybe you have always had a few extra pounds or maybe ‘middle age spread’ has caught up with you?

If you aren’t sure how to take these steps, I can help.  Let's get together for a chat to get you on track to better health and help to protect your sight for the years to come.