• 80% of a child's learning is done visually, so it's essential for children to have clear, comfortable vision.
• Many children with learning difficulties can trace their problem to focusing problems or poor eye muscle coordination.
• Standard school eye checks only test the clarity of distance vision, not focusing ability.
• As children grow, their eye sight can change. Regular checks help to ensure that vision problems are diagnosed as quickly as possible.

• Vision correction technology is always evolving. Regular eye examinations keep you in touch with the latest developments, so that you can benefit from thinner, more comfortable lenses.
• A change in vision may be normal, but it may also be the result of a more serious condition. The eye complications related to diabetes can be devastating. Diabetic retinopathy is one of the leading causes of blindness among the working age population.
• As you age, the risk of glaucoma increases. With early diagnosis, glaucoma can be managed.

• Related maculopathy occurs when the retina starts to deteriorate, reducing the clarity of vision.
• The aging eye requires regular checks, so that eye sight is preserved.
• Macular degeneration, also known as age related maculopathy is more common in the 60 plus age group and is a result of changes to the blood supply to the sensitive nerve layer causing a loss of vision.
• Sharpness of vision is lost and this can lead to difficulty with reading and the need to give up driving.
• Cataracts are the leading cause of visual loss among adults 55 years and older. A cataract is a clouding of the natural lens, the part of the eye responsible for focusing light and producing clear, sharp images. Images look blurred or fuzzy.

The answer is simple - to check for the healthiness of your eyes. As we age there is an increasing chance of eye problems developing. For instance, many of the changes caused by eye disease occur slowly, often over a period of years and sometimes without obvious signs or symptoms. Regular eye examinations make detection more likely and enable prompt treatment. The result for you, the patient, is a better chance of curing or controlling any eye disorder.

Floaters (or spots) are particles, which float inside the eye and cast a shadow on the light sensitive tissue at the back of the eye (the retina). Usually these are nothing more than a nuisance. However, floaters can result from eye disease or injury and do need assessment by your optometrist, particularly if associated with the occurrence of flashing lights in the eye.

Glaucoma is an eye disorder where the fluid pressure inside the eye causes progressive damage to parts of the optic nerve, which is responsible for carrying the visual messages to the brain.

Glaucoma usually comes without any warning. There may be no symptoms in the early stages and severe loss of vision can occur before a person realises that anything is wrong.

Early diagnosis by your optometrist allows the condition to be treated. Without the right treatment a gradual but permanent loss of vision will occur.

Don't let diabetes steal your sight. Diabetics are far more likely than non-diabetics to develop serious eye conditions that can damage their sight. With at least one in twenty adults in New Zealand having diabetes and about 98% of these developing some form of damage to their vision, diabetes is a major health problem in this country. It is the leading cause of blindness for those 40 to 60 years old.

However, having diabetes does not automatically mean that you lose your vision. Simply making regular visits to your optometrist will help ensure that any eye conditions are picked up at an early stage. And, as with many health issues, the earlier it is detected the more effective the treatment.

The Ministry of Health estimates that as many as 50% of New Zealanders with diabetes remain undiagnosed. As optometrists we are in a unique position to detect early diabetes during the course of a routine eye examination, and can work in with your GP for ongoing management.

People who have a family history of diabetes should also have regular eye examination, as they are more at risk of developing diabetes and serious eye conditions.

The risk of developing eye conditions such as retinopathy increase with the length of time you have been diabetic. The risk also increases when blood sugar levels are poorly controlled. "We know that good control of blood sugar, high blood pressure and cholesterol reduces the risk of retinopathy and other damage throughout the body from diabetes"

Diabetic retinopathy is a serious condition that affects the back of the eye giving rise to retinal hemorrhages which can result in permanent loss of sight. These conditions can by ophthalmologists by using laser therapy to treat the affected areas of the retina.

For advice on diabetic vision management, contact your optometrist.

It is particularly important all children have received a thorough eye examination before the age of 4 as this is a critical time for development of good vision.

Problems that can result in a weak or lazy eye are best diagnosed before this age so effective treatment can be commenced. Many older children who have learning difficulties, especially with reading, in fact have focusing errors or poor eye muscle co-ordination, which creates stress or fatigue with close work.

Children with these vision related learning problems often have excellent distance vision and will go undetected as standard school screening only tests the clarity of distance vision.

Detect damage early with regular examinations