Are you one of the millions of people around the world walking around with a sight-threatening disease? Unless you have your eyes checked regularly by a professional, you might not even be aware that your sight is in danger. 

Some diseases, like glaucoma, have no early warning signs. Instead, vision deteriorates silently and painlessly until it results in total blindness. But if glaucoma is detected early enough and correctly treated, vision loss and blindness may be prevented. Eyesight is one of the most precious gifts a person can have.

That’s why we encourage you to have your eyes checked this October, during Eye Care Awareness Month. Many people don’t pay much attention to their eyesight or the health of their eyes. This is unfortunate, as 80 percent of blindness is avoidable.

Most eye conditions can be successfully treated if detected early. Visit your local optometrist and take practical measures to protect your eyes like wearing sunglasses and protecting your eyes against injuries.

Your vision is a great gift. Please pay it the attention it deserves #Loveyoureyes.

• Visit an optometrist or doctor regularly and don’t ignore problems with your eyes. This way you can detect and treat eye conditions early on. 

• Protect your eyes from damage or scratches from foreign objects that can lead to infection or damage. Wear protective eyewear when working with equipment that may cause shards to fly into your eyes. 

• Wear sunglasses that give your eyes proper protection from the damaging rays of the sun. 

• Take regular breaks from your computer screen to minimise eye strain and the development of eye-focusing problems. 

Details: The South African National Council for the Blind sancb.org.za

The UV Index developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made many people more aware of the risks of sunburn and skin cancer from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Did you know UV and other radiation from the sun also can harm your eyes? 

Extended exposure to the sun’s UV rays has been linked to eye damage, including cataracts, macular degeneration, pingueculae, pterygia and photokeratitis that can cause temporary vision loss. 

And new research suggests the sun’s high-energy visible (HEV) radiation, also called ‘blue light’, may increase your long-term risk of macular degeneration. People with low blood plasma levels of vitamin C and other antioxidants especially appear at risk of retinal damage from HEV radiation. To protect your eyes from harmful solar radiation, sunglasses should block 100 per cent of UV rays and also absorb most HEV rays.

Frames with a close fitting wraparound style provide the best protection because they limit how much stray sunlight reaches your eyes from above and beyond the periphery of your sunglass lenses