This World Sight Day Novartis and its eye care division, Alcon, are adding their voice to raise awareness and address the problem of preventable blindness and vision impairment worldwide. By highlighting the economic impact and burden that blindness and vision impairment can have on societies and individuals we hope to improve the quality of life limitations vision has.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are 285 million people living with visual impairment1, the majority of which is due to chronic eye diseases. What is most concerning is that 80% of visual impairment could be avoided if it were diagnosed and treated in time!
How you can look after your eyes6
Get your eyes checked regularly (at least once a year) and especially if you have any of the following symptoms:
Inflamed (red) eyes
Loss of vision
Pain in the eye
Bulging eye
Altered eye movement
Know your family's history of eye disease. If you have a history of eye disease in your family, or are over 40 years of age, you may need to have your eyes properly examined more regularly.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Eat healthily and get regular exercise! Eye-healthy foods include fruit and vegetables, and fish, such as salmon, tuna and halibut.
Don't smoke! And avoid second hand smoke.
Wear protective eyewear when playing sport or when your eyes may be exposed to injury.
Wear dark glasses when going out into the sun. Look for glasses that block out 99% to 100% of both UV-A and UV-B radiation.
Rest your eyes frequently. Take regular breaks (at least every 20 minutes) from reading or looking at the computer. Don't forget to blink.
Watch your hygiene! Be careful not to touch or rub your eyes with dirty hands.
Always wash your hands thoroughly before putting in or taking out contact lenses.
Make sure to disinfect contact lenses and replace them as necessary.
