A day before her 70th birthday, Gayle Ryan went for a routine eye check, not knowing she had a condition which could have led to blindness.
She visited Specsavers because she felt she might be overdue a visit to the optometrist – she had experienced no changes in her sight nor any issues with her eyes.
However Gayle's optometrist discovered she had a retinal tear behind her left eye, a condition which if left untreated, could lead to permanent vision loss or blindness. She was referred to Waikato Hospital where she underwent two laser sessions to help save her eye sight.
After treatment for the retinal tear, Gayle realised the seriousness of her condition and the outcome she was able to avoid: "I feel like I've dodged a bullet, it has changed my thinking hugely as I could've lost eyesight in left eye."
Her decision to have an eye check was timely – not just for the sake of her sight but because October 13 is World Sight Day (WSD), a reminder to get eyes checked to help prevent vision loss and other health complications.
According to Specsavers optometrist, Philip Walsh, when it comes to health check-ups, sometimes eyes can come last on the list of priorities – especially if we feel there's nothing particularly wrong with them. However, regular eye tests could be key to maintaining long-term overall health.
"An eye test is more than just a simple vision check," he says. "It's also a comprehensive examination of your eye health. As optometrists, we can pick up on indications of other broader health concerns from an eye test. So, to make sure potential issues are picked up early, it's really important to get your eyes tested regularly.
"The professional recommendation is to have an eye test every two years but sometimes we might recommend you come back more often for a variety of different reasons, like monitoring cataracts or a problem in the back of the eye.
Sometimes there's been a change in the patient's prescription that we need to monitor," he says, "or there could be some medical issues, like diabetes, that are predisposed to particular eye problems. It's always better to catch potential health concerns of any kind as early as possible."
Many Kiwis unfortunately delay checking on their eye health until they start to experience visible symptoms, says Walsh. Most eye diseases and general eye health problems remain fairly unnoticeable in their early stages. But, according to Specsavers, more than 90 per cent of vision loss in New Zealand can be prevented or treated when problems or issues are detected early.
From 40 on, most Kiwis will start to notice their reading vision starting to become strained or blurred, he says. These symptoms can be an indicator of a range of different problems and it's best they're monitored and assessed by an expert.
Angela O'Leary, 53, discovered she had glaucoma during an eye test with Specsavers, which she'd booked after reading started to feel uncomfortable. At the time, she didn't know glaucoma ran in her family until she had been diagnosed with it and talked about it with her relatives.
"I discovered that my sister and aunt also have glaucoma," she says. "My sister was diagnosed before me but didn't discuss that it was glaucoma."
Having this conversation earlier would have allowed Angela to start treatment sooner: "It's important to have conversations with family about hereditary links when it comes to health issues like glaucoma," she says. "Ongoing conversations can encourage other family members to get checked – my daughter in her mid-20s is now going for a check."
Walsh says: "Glaucoma, which is a leading cause of avoidable blindness worldwide, affects over 100,000 Kiwis and can be hereditary. In fact, you are 10 times more likely to have glaucoma if you have a direct family member with the condition. As early detection is important for successful treatment, having a chat to determine if you have a family history of the disease is key.
"Thankfully, Specsavers optometrists can carry out several tests to detect glaucoma, in addition to the usual examinations during an eye test." All Specsavers stores have hospital-grade technology to help detect sight-threatening eye conditions through an advanced 3D scan of the back of the eye.
"So tests are essential for early detection of glaucoma and other health issues like the ones faced by Angela and Gayle," he says.
This World Sight Day, Specsavers is encouraging Kiwis to put their eye health first by booking an eye test at their local optometrist. At Specsavers stores across the country AA members can claim a free eye test every two years and Supergold Card Holders can obtain half price eye tests.
For more information: https://www.specsavers.co.nz or call your local store to book your eye test.