Charity message
A BBC Wales Charity Message is being broadcast this week to promote the importance of sight tests. The hard-hitting television message aims to get more people in Wales to have a regular sight test by highlighting how much vision you can lose without realising.
National Eye Health Week has been established to communicate the importance of good eye health under the banner, 'Vision Matters'. Many organisations in Wales are supporting National Eye Health Week and thousands of people will receive eye health messages on the high street, outside supermarkets and through their employers.
Avoidable sight loss
Ceri Jackson, Head of Sight Loss Prevention at RNIB Cymru said: "Half of all sight loss is avoidable, it's so easy for people to get a sight test at their local optometrist and for many people it is free. With over 115,000 people in Wales with serious sight problems, having your eyes tested is vitally important to help safe-guard your sight".
Rosemarie Keigwin-Harris, Service Director, Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Service for Wales said: "As part of Eye Health Care week, the Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Service for Wales will be at the following locations across Cardiff to provide information to patients about the importance of attending for retinopathy screening, we will also be encouraging people of all ages to have a regular eye test; Working Street on Monday 14 and Tuesday 15, Harbour Drive Wednesday 16, Asda supermarket Leckwith on Thursday 17 and 18. The Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Service for Wales is funded directly by the Assembly Government as part of the Welsh Eye Care Initiative"
Assembly members
Optometry Wales has arranged for many Assembly Members from the National Assembly for Wales to visit their local practices. Practice owner John Smith said: "We are proud to have our local AM visiting us as part of our commitment for this new awareness week. We hope that the visit will encourage as many people as possible to have regular eye examinations."
Members of the MEGAFOCUS Steering Group, an eye health group for black and minority ethnic communities, will be delivering eye health messages at a temple in Cardiff on Sunday 20 June.
Partners
RNIB Cymru is working with Peacocks, Public Health Wales, Royal College of Nursing, Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association and Black Horse Finance to get eye health messages to staff through bulletins, intranets and events. RNIB Cymru staff will also be on hand to talk to shoppers about eye health at Pontypridd and Merthyr Tydfil Markets this week.
For more details on National Eye Health Week go to http://www.visionmatters.org.uk/
Notes to editors
For case studies and more details please contact Mary van den Heuvel: 02920 449591; 07534266192
Ceri Jackson: 07980 276293
For details about RNIB Cymru and to view the charity broadcast go to:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/info/sites/charities/
Organisations involved in National Eye Health Week in Wales include FODO, RNIB Cymru, Optometry Wales, Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Services for Wales, Diabetes Cymru, MEGAFOCUS, School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Wales Council for the Blind, Wales Optometry Post Graduate Education Centre.