Myth busting eye care

Sight is one of the most important senses – with three quarters saying it’s their most valued – but it can often be one of the most overlooked. While many of us rely on sight every day for almost everything we tackle, research has shown that Brits are not caring for their vision in the best way.

Optegra Eye Health Care has called for an awareness campaign in the hopes of giving Brits a better understand of their own eye health – meaning that more will go onto get their eyes tested as well as finally get to the bottom of those long held myths around eye care.

Cataracts – an eye condition that has long been considered to be an issue for those over 70 has in recent times seen a rise in diagnosis and treatment for people in their 50s and 60s. A third of British adults say they know someone of that age group who has had the treatment.

While the procedure is one of the most commonly performed surgeries and roughly one in three adults over 65 will be affected, a third (30%) do not realise cataracts can cause cloudy vision and almost half (48%) do not know blurred vision is a symptom. Estimates suggest that cataracts accounted for around 20 million cases of blindness worldwide in 2010.

Aston spoke to Dr Clare O’Donnell, optometrist and heads up Optegra’s research division and Alex Shortt, Optegra consultant eye surgeon to discuss the myths around eye care and cataracts, as well as the best ways for people to care for their eyes.