By Annette Campbell
Most of us probably don’t think too much about all the wonderful work our amazing eyes do — as long as nothing goes wrong! But people’s fear of losing their vision is second only to cancer.
So to help mark The Eye Foundation’s upcoming event, JUL-eye, we talked with an expert about how to take the best care of our peepers.
Dr Georgina Kourt is an ophthalmologist and ocular plastic surgeon from the Sydney Eye Hospital.
“Having regular checks — either with an optometrist or an ophthalmologist — is so important, as sometimes you don’t know something’s wrong until it’s discovered in an examination,” she explains. “So this helps detect disease early and prevent it progressing.
“Blindness occurs predominantly in the two most vulnerable age groups: the very young and the elderly. The main causes of blindness in Australia are macular degeneration (MD), cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.”
Have regular eye checks.
Stop smoking. This is a significant risk factor for macular degeneration (MD).
Include in your diet, fruit, vegetables, nuts and fish. We know that zinc and antioxidants may help with MD.
Wear sunglasses. Australia has the highest rates of skin cancer in the world — 5 to 10 per cent of those occur in the area around the eyelids.
Over the counter artificial lubricants are useful for dry eyes.
- Have your prescription reviewed every two years; unless you notice deterioration in your vision. If you do, it could be that your glasses need updating, but it could also be a sign of more serious eye disease.
- These need to be used with great caution, as it’s like putting a foreign body in your eye. Serious infections can result in the cornea of the eye, so if you start to develop redness in an eye, seek medical assistance immediately.
Have regular breaks to ease eye strain.
Artificial lubricants can help for dry eyes.
- Take care when mowing or DIY-ing on the house — 90 per cent of eye injures can prevented by wearing glasses or safety goggles!
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