Pilbara Health

Sight is considered our most precious sense. As we grow older, we need to protect our eyes to enjoy a full work and family life.

The leading cause of blindness in Australia is macular degeneration (MD), something that affects one in seven people over the age of 50 – a figure expected to triple in the next 25 years.

The disease causes progressive damage to the macula, resulting in central vision loss. While it can affect anyone, the three major risk factors for MD include age, smoking and genetics.

But you can take positive action by getting an optometrist to check for early detection and following these steps to reduce the risk:

• keep a healthy lifestyle – don’t smoke, control your weight and exercise regularly;
• eat a well-balanced diet by limiting the intake of fats and regularly eating fish, dark green leafy vegetables, fresh fruit and protein-rich foods for zinc; and
• protect eyes from sunlight, especially when young.

MD causes many different symptoms, meaning difficulty with vision should not be dismissed as simply getting older. In its early stages, MD may not be noticed but can be detected in eye tests before any visual symptoms occur.

There are wet and dry forms of MD: the dry type results in a gradual loss of central vision while the wet form causes a sudden loss of vision, due to abnormal blood vessels growing into the retina.

For more details, call the MD Foundation on 1800 111 709 or go to www.mdfoundation.com.au