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What better way to be seen and heard when promoting National Eye Health Week than to appear on the settee next to TV darlings Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on ITV's This Morning show? Well almost. Due to Holly's pregnancy, Amanda Holden has stepped in and the two presenters welcomed Dr Chris Steel and Dr Susan Blakeney as they looked to push and promote the awareness campaign for vision and sight on Thursday's show.
National Eye Health Week takes place yearly and has done since 2010. The week long event focuses on joining together eye care specialists and charities to help promote the 'importance of eye health and the need for regular sight tests.' The organised schedule looks to help people understand the importance of vision, but also how to help care for our eyes so that sight issues can be avoided through regular checking and examinations.
During the show, to help raise awareness for the week, two patients were brought in to check their vision. One was a 32 year old and the other 43 years of age, and neither had EVER had an eye test, even though you are recommended to visit your optician at least every two years. Before testing began, the younger of the two patients complained of having blurred vision of things in the distance and following her check up was diagnosed with stigmatism, a good general overall sight quality, with problems regarding her long distance visual abilities. The older of the two was assessed and tests showed that they required glasses for reading due to a deterioration in their close up sight capabilities. It was then highlighted just how common blurred close up vision is in the over 40's and the importance of regular testing to monitor and treat.
It wasn't just the test subjects that were scrutinised by the optical professionals however, but both Phillip and Amanda, as you would expect, came through with flying colours. Phillip confirmed his regular check ups having had the routine drummed into him at an early age by his parents while Amanda followed in a similar vein by detailing that as a parent herself she was very conscious of making sure her children are regularly tested.