ANP
News from the NOS•
The Eye Fund invites people to have their eyes checked more often. More than 300,000 people in the Netherlands are currently blind or partially sighted. That number will only increase in the next few years, warns the Eye Fund.
“Many older people have reduced vision, but they don’t realize that this is due to a disease,” says Monique van Bijsterveld, director of the Eye Fund in the Netherlands. NOS Radio 1 News. “When people finally find out, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
In seven out of ten cases, deterioration of the eyes can be prevented. The Eye Fund is taking its 75th anniversary to draw attention to this.
using the screen
People’s lifestyle also affects eyesight, like eating patterns. In children, the use of the screen is the main influence. Van Bijsterveld: “Obviously it’s not bad at all to watch on a phone or tablet, but please do it remotely.”
In many cases, poorer vision in any age group is preventable. “If you get there on time, there is something you can do. People go to the dentist twice a year, but they don’t get their eyes checked regularly.”
The fund therefore invites you to regularly visit the optician as well as the dentist. “If your teeth no longer work, you get dentures. But if your eyes no longer work, there is no solution. Then the light really goes out,” warns the director.
