50 per cent
A partially sighted Hampshire man has met top Government brass in a bid to tackle the 50 per cent of sight loss which is avoidable.
Mike Andrews, 59, of Portchester, Fareham, was diagnosed with diabetes in 1989 and about three years ago developed diabetic retinopathy (1).
Mike's eye condition causes both his eyes to bleed and in the last 18 months he's developed double vision. He is due to have an operation to correct this next month.
"I was in a different word"
Recalling the moment his sight changed, Mike said: "It happened out of the blue, it was like I was in a different world. I was taking a bin outside and all of a sudden I bent over and my eye went black. It was like a Z across it and as I moved the black Z moved. They had warned me that because of the diabetes I was at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy but it was still a shock."
A former print technician on the Financial Times, Mike's eyesight was central to his career.
He continued to work as a print technician at Chesapeake packaging company but over a two year period started to notice he couldn't see certain colours so vividly.
Mike said: "In the last year at Chesapeake it became evident that I couldn't do my job to the same degree. We needed good eyesight for the job. I knew the value of my eyes but over the course of two years it deteriorated loads."
Parliamentary reception
Mike attended the recent parliamentary reception, held at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, as one of the Royal National Institute of Blind People's (RNIB) new Eye Health Ambassadors.
RNIB campaigns team has recently recruited a team of Eye Health Ambassadors who can share their experiences of diagnosis, and the consequent treatment, with decision makers and the public.
Mike hopes his new role will help other people with sight loss but most importantly stop people losing their sight unnecessarily.
Early detection
"The earlier you detect you're having problems with your sight then the more chance you have to control it. I'd urge everyone to have regular sight tests and if you have diabetes to take up the annual diabetic retinopathy screening.
"Also listen to the doctors when they're telling you to stick to a strict diet and not to drink alcohol if you have diabetes. I've never drunk a great deal but I did like a drink now and then. Also my diet was never the greatest but now I'm very strict. With eye disease it's down to you to look after yourself. Don't put it off until tomorrow as some eye diseases are fast and you could lose your sight within months. There may not be a tomorrow," he added.
Mike wants to get eye health higher on the Government's agenda. Since being registered Mike admits to having faced an unnecessary uphill struggle to get the help he needed, even having to prove himself in court that he was entitled to the benefit Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
Children's vision screening
Mike is keen to help establish a children's vision screening service for when youngsters first start school, which can detect any problems as early as possible.
Barbara McLaughlan, RNIB Health and Social Care Manager, said: "RNIB has been campaigning to end preventable sight loss for years and promoting prevention is one of our key objectives. However, making eye health and the prevention of sight loss a priority in society and with political decision-makers continues to be a challenge. By sharing their personal stories, it is hoped the new Eye Health Ambassadors will help make decision makers and the public make better choices on eye health care."
During National Eye Health Week, RNIB called on Parliament to ensure NHS commissioners and local authority Health and Wellbeing Boards draw up strategies that can save the sight of around a million people.
Currently eye health is not mentioned in the vast majority of Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs). In 2010 only 20 out of 151 PCTs in England contained a section on eye health. (2)
Without preventative action the number of people with sight loss is predicted to increase to almost 4 million by 2050*.
Mike spoke to several MPs at the event, sharing his personal story, and secured several agreements that they would write to the Director of Public Health to get eye health in local strategies.
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