Sight unseen: We’re ignoring vision problems

By Geraldine Fitzgerald

There have been massive advancements in technology surrounding eyecare in the last decade, yet new research shows that over 61 per cent of Irish adults are ignoring symptoms of eye problems and sticking our heads in the sand.

At least 24 per cent of us delayed appointments during the pandemic, due to fear of busy environments (don’t panic; scrupulous care is taken at all eye clinics and opticians) and even though at least one in ten people are actually concerned about an underlying issue with their vision, it doesn’t stop us from glossing over the symptoms.

Unsurprisingly, ignoring the issue doesn’t make it go away.

Common complaints are red, itchy, sore, and uncomfortable eyes, double vision, dry eyes, and blurred vision, which may not be of huge concern but are debilitating and should be treated.

More worryingly, lots of us have ignored potentially serious eye conditions like floaters, eye twitches, and migraines, despite 74 per cent of us claiming we’d be very cross with ourselves for disregarding symptoms of irreversible health issues.

This new data comes as a result of the State of Ireland’s Eye Health 2021 report, commissioned by Specsavers in collaboration with charity partner Fighting Blindness. The report aims to shine a light on the impact of Covid-19 on eye health, with experts describing it as a ‘ticking timebomb’.

The pandemic meant people delayed or postponed eye tests, even though consumers acknowledge that an eye test can detect signs of more sinister health problems like stroke, brain tumours or diabetes. Worry about crowded spaces or reprioritising other appointments over eye care meant that vision got kicked to the bottom of the list. The research also indicated that over half of us are unaware of myopia, a very common vision problem suffered by children that needs to be diagnosed and treated to avoid eye strain and trouble with reading.

It’s well worth making an appointment for an eye test, even if you don’t think anything is wrong, as many health conditions are symptomless in the early stages.

Optical services giant Specsavers invested in state-of-the-art technology such as Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) scanners, a cutting-edge piece of equipment usually found in hospital eye departments.

An OCT scan can help detect treatable eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration sooner; can detect glaucoma up to four years in advance, identifying any problems so people can be quickly referred for specialist help.