As National Eye Health Week enters its second day, the charity Eye Health UK is calling on all practices to include lifestyle advice on prescriptions to help reduce the numbers of people in the UK living with avoidable sight loss.
David Cartwright, chairman of Eye Health UK, said: “Reaching out to people with lifestyle advice that encourages them to make simple changes to their diet, smoking habits and activity levels will play a critical role in saving people’s sight in the future.”
An Eye Health UK study, conducted by OnePoll amongst 2,000 UK adults in August 2019, showed that only 15 per cent of people thought exercise affected eye health. This was despite evidence showing that being physically active could reduce the risk of visual impairment by 58 per cent (Beaver Dam Eye Study 2014).
“Lifestyle advice on optical prescriptions and eye examination summaries would not only increase public awareness of the link between lifestyle habits and eye health but also signpost people towards the support they need to make lifestyle changes and improve their general well-being,” the charity said.
Read more about this call to action on the Vision Matters website.