Loss of vision can be prevented
"Smoking and poor diet lacking in leafy green vegetables are factors that might contribute to the onset of AMD and the early signs are poor vision at night or in dimly lit rooms".
BADPLAAS – More than 305 pensioners within the Albert Luthuli Local Municipality received spectacles donated by the health department, Nkomati Mine and the Nelspruit Lions.
This took place during World Sight Day, which is the main international event for raising awareness on blindness and vision loss.
Recent studies have shown that more than half of all blind people in this country are 65 or older.
CEO of Mbhuleni Hospital, Elvis Dibakwane says, “When blindness or visual loss occurs later in life, it can be very frustrating, but most importantly you have to accept the situation. We are trying to decrease the incidence of blindness, by urging the public to consider surgical treatment. Lots of older people seem to be misinformed and believe they will die if they have operations. We tell them they won’t die, but will be able to see again.”
Provincial coordinator Aaron Segodi said, “The first signs of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are difficulty in reading, writing or recognising people’s faces. Straight lines can appear to be wavy, and a grey or misty cloud in the centre of the vision is sometimes also detected.
“Smoking and poor diet lacking in leafy green vegetables are factors that might contribute to the onset of AMD and the early signs are poor vision at night or in dimly lit rooms, inability to read the blackboard at school or struggling to walk down unmarked steps. Other signs are very slow adaptation from bright light to dimly lit rooms and eventually a loss of side vision that makes them bump into other people. I urge all members of the community to see a doctor immediately after experiencing any of these symptoms,” said Segodi.
