Survey: Kiwis neglect eyes

Many people in New Zealand are neglecting the health of their eyes, a survey has found.

The survey, done to coincide with Save Our Sight Month, revealed that about 68,000 New Zealanders over 40 have glaucoma.

Half did not even know they had the disease, which, undetected, can lead to blindness but can be treated if diagnosed early.

The survey also found 41 per cent of people were unaware that macular degeneration, a condition which affects people as they age and can lead to virtual blindness.

Forty-seven per cent of participants in the survey felt uninformed or very uninformed about eye health, and 62 per cent of people who did not wear spectacles or contact lenses had never had an eye examination, the survey found.

Save Our Sight month is an annual event promoted by the New Zealand Association of Optometrists.

The society's national director, Dr Lesley Frederikson, said the survey had shown some surprising, and worrying, trends.

"There are a number of other conditions that can be detected through an optometrist's examination, but, worryingly, many people don't recognise this," Dr Frederikson said.

"Awareness and knowledge of the importance of eye health is a critical prerequisite for motivating behaviour and getting appropriate care."

The survey, "Eye Health in New Zealand: A study of public knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to eye health and disease", is the first of its kind in this country.

It was conducted by Professor Mark Ahn at Victoria University of Wellington.

"We were astounded at the low levels of knowledge about conditions that can make people blind." he said.

Asked which conditions could be detected through a comprehensive eye exam, only 47 per cent of respondents thought diabetes could be detected through routine exams.

Twenty eight per cent thought eye checks could reveal hypertension, 26 per cent a brain tumour, 18 per cent cancer, 17 per cent cardiovasculardisease and 9 per cent multiple sclerosis.

"Of concern, 9 per cent thought that none of these conditions could be discovered through an eye exam and nearly 40 per cent said they didn't know," Dr Ahn said.

The survey also found that behaviour which had a negative effect eye health were not clearly understood.

More than 70 per cent of the people in the survey thought that reading under dim lights was bad for your eyes, and only 64 per cent knew smoking cigarettes was bad for eyes.

Despite the low levels of understanding about causes of changes to vision and threats to eye health, nearly all respondents had noticed some changes in their vision - 38 per cent noticed changes before they reached the age of 35 years.

Asked about foods related to eye health, 36 per cent of people believed incorrectly carrots were the best vegetable for eye health, and only 4 per cent nominated the lutein-rich leafy green vegetable spinach.

One of the areas Dr Ahn was keen to explore was parents and guardians with children and indigenous communities of Maori and Pacific Islanders.

"We found that access to eye care appears to be uneven, particularly among indigenous populations," Dr Ahn said.

"As a group, Maori and Pacific Island respondents to our survey reported using eye health resources considerably less than the overall population, despite having the same awareness of the importance of eye health and associated diseases."

- NZPA