Regular eye tests 'could prevent blindness in older patients'

Posted on 2008-06-02 20:00:00 in Cataract | Healthcare and Information |

Older patients could be risking blindness by neglecting to have regular eye checks, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has said.

Eye tests can detect problems early allowing anti-aging physicians to treat age-related degenerative eye conditions before patients begin to lose their sight.

Research shows that more than 50 per cent of all sight problems in older people in the UK could be corrected by prescribing correct glasses, lenses or by cataract surgery.

More than half of all sight problems in older people are estimated to be due to untreated refractive error or cataracts.

Barbara McLaughlan, campaigns manager for the RNIB, said: "There are some eye conditions that can lead to blindness but [they] cause damage before people know there is a problem, so especially for older people - people over 60 - it really is crucial to have these regular eye tests because treatment is often available and blindness can be avoided.

"People can lose as much as 40 per cent of their sight before they notice that there is a problem."

In cases of glaucoma, delayed detection of the condition can lead to blindness as by the time the problem is reported the optical nerve has already been damaged.ADNFCR-1506-ID-18621706-ADNFCR


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