Your Vision Matters

This year's National Eye Health Week will take place from 23 to 29 September 2019, promoting the importance of good eye health and the need for regular eye tests for all. Vision really matters. Sight is the sense people fear losing the most, yet many of us don’t know how to look after our eyes – National Eye Health Week aims to change all that.

Good eyesight is a basic requirement for safe driving. Poor vision increases the risk of collisions due to the driver’s inability to recognise and react in time to a hazard or the behaviour of other road users.

Did you know?... 

• About 2 million people are living with severe sight loss in UK that can significantly impact their daily activities. Half of this population’s sight loss is avoidable
• Road crashes involving a driver with poor vision are estimated to cause 2,900 casualties and cost £33 million in the UK per year
• Eyesight can decline gradually and unnoticed, with people losing up to 40% of their visual acuity without being aware of deterioration
• An eye test easily detects the early signs of eye conditions such as glaucoma, which can be treated soon
• During any sight test, other health conditions including diabetes and high blood pressure can be detected
• To maintain healthy eyes, you should eat well, avoid smoking and wear eye protection during bright sunlight

The Legal Limit…

 In the UK, the law requires drivers to be able to read a modern car number plate, from 20 metres away. Drivers must inform the DVLA if their vision (with glasses or contact lenses if needed) is below 6/12 (0.5) on the Snellen scale, or their visual field is less than 1200, or they suffer from certain medical conditions. Lorry and bus drivers are required to have vision of at least 6/7.5 (0.8) in their best eye and at least 6/60 (0.1) in the other eye. If they require glasses or contact lenses, their corrective power must be no more than (+) 8 dioptres. Lorry and bus drivers must have a horizontal field of at least 70o left and right, and 30o up and down, with no visual defects within the central 30o. Check out the DVLA driving eyesight rules here…

Keep an eye on your lifestyle….

 The quality of your eyesight will affect your quality of life, so it’s really important you look after your eyes correctly. Eating foods like fish that are high in Omega-3 are good for your eyes. Exercise is good for your eyesight as it helps prevent diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol which all cause problems with vision. Quit smoking! As well as damaging your lungs, it can hurt your eyes too. Smoking increases your risk or diseases such as cataracts and also harms the optic nerves.

Wear sunglasses and protective eyewear when applicable to prevent injury. Don’t forget to take breaks when using a computer- it’s recommended to have a break every 20 minutes and focus on something 20 metres away. 

Several health conditions can cause serious and sometimes permanent damage to eyesight. These conditions are more common in people aged over 50, but can affect younger people too. Some of the most common conditions are: cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, double vision (diplopia). Other health conditions and factors can affect eyesight, include: diabetes, heart disease, migraines, tiredness and some medication, age-related vision deterioration. For more information visit Brake Road Safety Charity

Try this Eye Health Calculator. Did you know 50% of sight loss is avoidable? Are you putting your eyes at risk? Answer these quick questions for find out if you could be doing more to keep your eyes and vision healthy.