New Zealand uninformed on eye health

New Zealand uninformed on eye health survey reveals

Forty-seven percent of participants feel uninformed or very uninformed about eye health in New Zealand and 62 percent of people who do not wear glasses or contact lenses have never had an eye examination according to the findings of a new surveyed released to coincide with Save our Sight month.

Save our Sight month (September) is an annual initiative promoted by the New Zealand Association of Optometrists. The survey, the first of its kind in New Zealand, generated some surprising, and worrying trends, according to Dr Lesley Frederikson, national director of the association.

“Approximately 68,000 New Zealanders over the age of 40 currently have glaucoma and half of them don’t know they have the disease which undetected can lead to blindness, but which can be treated if diagnosed early. If 62 percent of people don’t visit an optometrist for a regular eye exam because they don’t need glasses, they could go undiagnosed.”

Similarly, the survey found 41 percent of people were unaware that macular degeneration, a condition which affects people as they age, can lead to blindness.

“There are a number of other conditions that can be detected through an optometrist’s exam, but worryingly, many people don’t recognise this,” Dr Frederikson says. “Awareness and knowledge of the importance of eye health is a critical prerequisite for motivating behaviors and accessing appropriate care.”

The survey, Eye Health in New Zealand: A study of public knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to eye health and disease, is the first of its kind in New Zealand and was undertaken by Professor Mark Ahn at Victoria University of Wellington.

“We were astounded at the low levels of knowledge about conditions that can make people blind,” said Professor Ahn. When asked: ‘which of the following conditions do you think can be detected through a comprehensive eye exam?’ only 47.0% of respondents reported that diabetes may be detected through routine exams, 28% hypertension, 26% brain tumour, 18% cancer, 17% cardiovascular disease and 9% multiple sclerosis.

“Of concern, 9 percent thought that none of these conditions could be discovered through an eye exam and nearly 40 percent said they didn’t know.”

Perhaps more importantly, behaviours that negatively affect eye health are not clearly understood. More than 70 percent of the people in the survey reported that reading under dim lights was “bad for your eyes” and only 64% percent were aware that “smoking cigarettes” was “bad for your eyes”. Smoking cessation is actually the number one modifiable lifestyle factor for reducing risk of damage to the retina.

Despite the low levels of understanding about causes of changes to vision and threats to eye health nearly all respondents had noticed some changes in their vision; 38% noticed changes before they reached 35 years of age. When asked about foods related to eye health 36% of respondents to the survey believed that carrots were the best vegetable for eye health (wrong answer) while only 4% nominated the lutein-rich leafy green vegetable, spinach.

Prof. Ahn noted “A key conclusion from this study is that awareness about the importance of eye health is high in NZ, but knowledge about associated diseases (e.g., macular degeneration) is low—particularly given the risk and cost of preventable vision impairment. Compared to a similar survey in the United States survey this seems to be a world wide phenomenon. Over 30 percent of respondents in both studies (38 percent in New Zealand; 32 percent in the United States) are unaware that a comprehensive eye exam can detect chronic and systemic diseases.”

One of the areas he was keen to explore was in respect of vulnerable sub-populations including parents and guardians with children and indigenous communities of Maoris and Pacific Islanders.

“We found that access to eye care appears to be uneven, particularly among indigenous populations,” Professor Ahn says. “As a group, Maori and Pacific Island respondents to our survey reported using eye health resources considerably less than the overall population, despite having the same awareness of the importance of eye health and associated diseases.”

In the survey, 14 percent of Maori/Pacific Islanders responded they see eye care providers every three to five years compared with 31 percent European/Pakeha. In addition, 32 percent of Maori/Pacific Islanders reported they never see eye care providers compared with 20 percent European/Pakeha.

Associated sight-threatening diseases such as diabetes, which causes diabetic retinopathy, are more prevalent in Maori and Pacific Islanders. “The current overall prevalence of diabetes in New Zealand is three percent, but varies widely by ethnicity: European 2.9 percent, Maori 8 percent, Pacific 10.1 percent, Asian 8.4 percent,” Dr Frederikson says.

“Studies have shown that routine eye screening, tight glycemic control and follow up can significantly improve diabetes-related vision care. New Zealand provides free eye screening through the public health system there are still some Maori and Pacific Island people who are not accessing this service. We need to find out why”

“Research like this survey is a first step and it helps illustrate the importance of public knowledge about eye health.”

While Maori and Pacific Islanders are less likely than the overall population access eye care, the same is not true when it comes to their children.

“It was interesting, however, that Maori and Pacific Islanders access eye-care for their children at similar rates to the overall population. It seems awareness leads to action when it comes to looking after children,” Dr Frederikson says.

When asked what comments they might make about eye health care, nearly a third of respondents actually called for increased public awareness about eye health and associated diseases. As typical respondents noted:

‘I would like to see more awareness on how people can look after their eyes, as sight is such a precious thing.’

‘More emphasis on getting your eyes checked regularly. Could tie into getting your health check done yearly. For example, with dentist checks, doctor checks, mole checks.’

Dr Frederikson thinks increased awareness might lead to increased engagement in behaviors and habits that enhance eye health. She said “The Save our Sight campaign which runs for the whole of September is itself a public awareness campaign to inform about the causes of preventable blindness so that people can take steps to ensure good eye heatlh.”

The New Zealand Association of Optometrists recommends regular eye exams for everyone and at least every two years for people over the age of 40.

ENDS

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