National Eye Health Week 2023

National Eye Health Week

Our team of Ophthalmologists at Sussex Premier Health treat a wide range of ‘eye health’ concerns and this National Eye Health week are sharing their advice on why it is so important to get your eyes tested regularly.

Our Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, Mr Shahram Kashani says “Certain eye conditions present acutely with obvious symptoms such as central distortion and loss of vision in wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or flashing lights, floaters and shadows in retinal detachment. Some ophthalmic conditions can be far more subtle in presentation and in many situations symptomless, such glaucoma and cataracts. Whilst cataracts can be cured by surgery and its effect on vision reversed, some disease entities are time critical and loss of vision can not be reversed for example in patients with glaucoma and wet AMD”.

Mr Shahram Kashani continues “Furthermore with evolving therapies and technology, we will be able to offer treatment for conditions that we cannot treat at present such as dry AMD. Exciting development in treatment for this condition should be with healthcare professionals and patients soon. Another group of patients who would benefit from regular eye check, are those with family history of eye conditions which can be passed on to them or to their children. These facts highlight the importance of having your eyes checked regularly by a healthcare professional such as an optician or an ophthalmologist, even if you don’t have symptoms in order to detect any vision threatening condition and act early to limit vision loss”.

What else can you do to keep your eyes healthy?

Diet
Eating healthy can have a positive impact on your eye health.  Antioxidants can help to prevent retinal damage. One anti-oxidant which is hugely beneficial is lutein.

Foods recommended for eye health include:

Exercise
Lack of exercise contributes significantly to several eye conditions, particularly amongst people aged 60 and over. Exercise may reduce the risk of sight loss from narrowing or hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Alcohol
Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to serious health conditions which can have a detrimental effect on your eye health.

Smoking
After ageing, smoking is the biggest risk factor for developing macular degeneration.
Smoking also increases your risk of developing cataracts.

The sun
Protecting your eyes from the sun is very important and should not be underestimated. Under no circumstances should you ever look at the sun directly. Your sunglasses should have the CE mark on them which ensures that they are giving you the right level of ultraviolet protection