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As part of the International Glaucoma Association's (IGA) push to improve awareness of glaucoma and the risks it brings, they have released a guide aptly named the Eyeway Code which deals with the preventable but sometimes untreated condition.
Glaucoma, primarily affects people in the 40+ age category, but is also something that can affect those younger and more active as the former Netherlands international football player Edgar Davids would testify after the Dutchman was widely recognised by his flowing dreadlocks and glaucoma related eyewear goggles. Currently, around half a million people in the UK suffer from this condition but the worrying statistic is that as much as half of that number are not diagnosed and do not receive treatment for it.
The Eyeway Code, as the name suggests, focuses on the risks associated with the eye condition and driving, hence the play on words and the slogan, 'Keep your eyes and life on the road after 40 years old.' Set as the standard highway code is, the document covers four main areas, glaucoma the disease, testing, treatment and living and driving with the ailment. The AA are firmly behind the move as their head of road safety suggests, "As we get older having our eyes tested regularly becomes more and more important. From a driving angle we need to make sure that we can meet the basic eyesight test, but we also have to ensure we don't have the conditions, like glaucoma, that can eventually preclude driving if untreated. And a check isn't everything, drivers need to discuss driving with their opticians, so that anything that will affect them in the future can be identified and acted on before they start to affect ability to drive".