Putting The Focus On Eye Health

My Weekly’s favourite GP from TV and radio writes for you

- Dr Sarah Jarvis

Eye problems become more common with age, but there are steps you can take to cut your chance of sight-threatening problems, and there have never been more effective treatments to preserve sight. With age – usually from your 40s – your lens becomes less efficient at focussing, leading to the inevitable middle-age glasses. Perhaps the best-known lens problem is cataract, where the usually clear lens of the eye becomes cloudy, as if looking through frosted glass, and the gradual loss of vision can’t be corrected with spectacles. You may also notice spots on your vision, haloes around bright lights, and problems seeing in well-lit environments. About 1 in 3 over 65s of both sexes have cataracts, which can affect one or both eyes. Fortunately, a simple day-case procedure under local anaesthetic allows your eye surgeon to replace the lens, usually with great success.