Future Vision Tour
As part of the Royal National Institute of Blind People's (RNIB) Future Vision tour, students from The Oldham College will this week enter a virtual ageing booth to see how they could look when they are older and learn how to reduce the risk of becoming blind later in life.
The UK wide tour aims to show students how their lifestyle can affect their vision and hopes to encourage them to look after their eyes by illustrating ways that they can prevent serious eye conditions from developing, such as not smoking and having regular eye tests.
Virtual Ageing Booth
The virtual ageing booth simulates how students might look when they reach 70 based on their current lifestyle choices. On leaving the booth, students are given a 'before' and 'after' photograph of themselves, along with eye health information explaining how to avoid risk factors linked to eye disease.
Campaigns Officer at RNIB, Manjit Rooprah said: "Our focus is on younger people because we want to show them, in a very tangible way, how their lifestyle choices may affect their risk of developing eye disease in later life. RNIB's Future Vision tour shows our commitment to making avoidable sight loss a thing of the past."
Smoking and sight loss
RNIB is particularly keen to highlight the link between sight loss and smoking - the biggest avoidable risk to blindness. A survey conducted by RNIB showed that in the UK, 73 per cent of smokers aged 18-24 would consider stopping smoking permanently or reducing smoking to avoid blindness in later life.
Manjit Rooprah added: "Ultimately it's up to all of us to take the necessary steps to maximise our chances of keeping our eyes healthy into old age. Fifty per cent of all sight loss if tackled early enough is avoidable. If younger people are prepared to take their own eye health seriously, they stand a far better chance of not adding to the 1.8 million people who currently live with sight loss in the UK. Not smoking is as important as having regular eye tests."
Oldham College
The Future Vision tour comes to The Oldham College following discussions into effective ways of reducing smoking among young people. The college wants to help its students to better understand the risks attached to their eye health due to smoking.
Joan Griffiths, Assistant Principal at The Oldham College, stated: "We are extremely pleased to be working alongside RNIB and the PCT to highlight the dangers of smoking and the impact that lifestyle choices have on health and sight loss. It is important for our students to be informed about key health issues and the RNIB have managed to do this in a fun and interactive way."
Oldham Community Health Services (part of NHS Oldham) is also backing the event and staff from the Stop Smoking Service will be on hand throughout the week to give students further information and promote smoking cessation services.
Liz Woodworth, specialist Stop Smoking Service manager with Oldham Community Health Services (part of NHS Oldham), said: "We want to highlight to young people that the danger of losing something as precious as sight is a very real risk if they smoke. Stopping smoking is the single most important thing that you can do to improve your health, and you are four times more likely to quit for good if you use the professional Stop Smoking Service which we provide."
For more media information contact Graham Sefton, RNIB Press Office 020 7391 2223. Out of hours mobile 07968 482812.
Notes to Editors
1. The Future Vision virtual ageing booth will be at The Oldham College between 8-12 February. The media are invited to a reception event that takes place on Friday 12 February at The Oldham College (Rochdale Road, Oldham, OL9 6AA). Meet at the college reception 10-11am where you will be greeted by RNIB staff. Please contact Graham Sefton if you would like to attend (details as above).
2. Students using the booth and a spokesperson from RNIB and the college will be available for further comment, as will members of Oldham Community Health Services (part of NHS Oldham)'s Stop Smoking Service team.
3. Everyday around 100 people in the UK start to lose their sight. There are around 1.8 million people in the UK with sight problems. RNIB is the leading charity working in the UK offering practical support, advice and information for anyone with sight difficulties. If you, or someone you know, has a sight problem RNIB can help. Call the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or visit www.rnib.org.uk
4. Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen to the skin. This means that skin ages more quickly looking grey and dull with more wrinkles. Giving up smoking not only protects your looks but also helps to prevent eye disease, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts.
5. RNIB recommends regular eye tests every two years. If you are under 19 and in full time education, or if you live in Scotland, it will be free.
6. The booth was designed by Hartnell Creative Communication Ltd and will be visiting a further seven UK college venues.
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