Barnsley event set to be an eye opener
Do you have problems with your sight? How can you keep your eyes healthy? Why should you get your eyes tested? All of these questions and many more will be answered in Barnsley during National Eye Health Week.
As part of National Eye Health Week, which runs from 16th- 22nd September 2013, South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council (BMBC) is inviting people in and around Barnsley to learn more about the importance of eye health and where they can go to get help for visual impairments or other eye related concerns.
National Eye Health Week (NEHW) is an annual awareness week that brings together eyecare charities, organisations and health professionals from across the UK to raise awareness of the importance of good eye health and the need for regular sight tests for all.
The Trust and BMBC are joining forces with leading eyecare organisations to hold an information event in Barnsley town centre on Tuesday, 17th September 2013 between 10am and 2pm in Barnsley town centre.
The Trust’s Equipment, Adaptations and Sensory Impairment Service in Barnsley will be running their own information stall to encourage local people to think about looking after their eye sight by getting their eyes tested regularly and providing advice to people who have a visual impairment to help them to remain as independent as possible.
People will have the opportunity to take part in a vision loss awareness experience using simulation spectacles which give people an insight into what it could feel like to have a range of different eye conditions.
Moira Alton, a senior rehabilitation officer with the service said, “Sight is the sense people fear losing the most, yet many of us don’t know the best way to look after our eyes. National Eye Health Week aims to change all that and we hope to see lots of people at this local event.
Figures suggest 1.8 million people in the UK are living with sight loss. For 53% of these, a simple sight test and new spectacles could really help. Some of the most common eye conditions can be diagnosed by having regular eye tests, which could be available free of charge. If problems are spotted early there is a better chance of effective treatment. If you do have a severe sight loss there is support available – our service can offer advice, support and training to people. As well as lots of information leaflets there will be a range of eye professionals to talk to at the event, so come along and find out more.”
To find out more about National Eye Health Week visit www.visionmatters.org.uk or to find your local optician visit www.nhs.uk
