The Health Check We Forget Until Something Goes Wrong

There’s something rather strange about our eyesight. We rely on it from the moment we wake until we close our eyes at night, yet many of us give it very little thought until something starts looking blurry.

I suspect most of us are better at remembering when the car needs its MOT than when our eyes were last examined.

Today is World Sight Day, an annual reminder that looking after our sight deserves more attention. This year’s campaign, organised by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness⁠, encourages people to prioritise their eye health and make regular examinations part of everyday life.

And there’s a good reason for that.

An eye examination isn’t simply about deciding whether we need glasses. An optometrist can also look for signs of eye disease, sometimes before we’ve noticed anything unusual ourselves.

Here in Wales, NHS guidance recommends that most people have their eyes examined at least every two years, or more frequently when clinically advised. Many people also qualify for NHS-funded sight tests, including those with certain health conditions or risk factors.

My suggestion today is straightforward. Find out when you last had your eyes examined. If you’re overdue, make the appointment rather than waiting for a problem. And if your vision changes suddenly, don’t wait for a routine check; seek urgent professional advice.

As a naturist, I spend plenty of time appreciating the world around me. The colours of autumn, the changing Welsh countryside, the expressions on familiar faces and those wonderful little moments when you notice something beautiful that you’ve walked past a hundred times.

Sight is part of how we experience those things, and protecting it is worth a little effort.

Wellbeing isn’t always about introducing something new into our lives. Sometimes it’s about looking after what we already have.

When did you last have your eyes examined?