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Organisers are urging practitioners to get involved in National Eye Health Week 2015 as they unveil plans for the UK’s biggest celebration of vision and eye health.


This year’s event, which is free to participate in, takes place between 21 – 27 September 2015 and will once again focus on a different theme each day of the Week. Daily topics will include: You and Your Eye Health; Nutrition and the Eye; Technology and UV Protection.


The Week will launch with a day full of activities designed to challenge people to stop and consider how healthy their eyes really are and what steps they should be taking to improve and protect their vision and eye health.


David Cartwright, Chair of National Eye Health Week explains: “The latest Health Survey for England[1] highlights a real disconnect between people’s perceptions of their eye health and the stark reality with one in five respondents[2] who rated their eye health as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ admitting that eyesight limits their activities at least sometimes. As part of our You and Your Eye Health campaign we want to inspire people to take better care of their eyes and enhance their everyday lives.”
 

The Nutrition and the Eye day will see the launch of more exclusive recipes and some simple food swaps that can help give people’s vision a boost whilst the UV Protection day will illustrate the increased dangers of UV radiation around the Autumn Equinox[3] and the Technology day will highlight how modern and future technologies can impact our eye health.

 
David Cartwright continues: “Focusing on a different daily theme gives us the opportunity to continually refresh our communications and reach out to some of those groups most at risk of avoidable sight loss. Reminders about the importance of regular sight tests will be a constant thread running across our diverse range of activities.”

 
Eyecare practitioners, pubic health professionals, GPs and pharmacists are also being encouraged to join more than 2,000 other individuals and organisations lending their support to this year’s campaign.

 
Taking part in the Week is simple, easy and, best of all, free. Anyone wanting to get involved can register for a free resource pack on the Vision Matters website www.visionmatters.org.uk.


Supporters will also receive regular e-news bulletins with hints and tips on how to raise awareness of eye health issues within their local community.

 
Opportunities still exist for corporate supporters to become official National Eye Health Week Partners. Contact rachel@visionmatters.org.uk for more information.

[1] http://www.hscic.gov.uk/searchcatalogue?productid=16571
[2] Aged 16 and over with any difficulty with close/distant vision
[3] The 2015 Autumn Equinox occurs on Wednesday 23 September

Published : 11 May 2015