What are the risks of not having a VisionSafe Eye Check?

Praveen Patel:

What are the risks of not having a VisionSafe check: well, I guess, the biggest risk, is actually to miss a treatable eye condition. Lydia and I find that most of the patients we see, are actually, generally, asymptomatic. They didn’t know they had a problem. But, initially, they found that there was a potential problem when they saw their optometrist, or perhaps they had a family history of an eye condition. And then, we went on to see them as their consultation; carried out the scans; and actually, reached a firm diagnosis.

And, of course, early treatment is really what this is all about because by identifying the disease at its earliest stage, we give ourselves the best chance of treating a condition, and maintaining vision. Because, very often, if we’re too late in intervening, we don’t see an improvement in vision again, and it’s too late.

Lydia Chang:

And, with glaucoma, what concerns us is that most patients are asymptomatic with the condition, in the early stages of the disease. However, as the disease progresses, visual impairment develops in one part of the visual field. And, unfortunately, that’s an irreversible development. So, the earlier diagnosis means that you can prevent the onset of an irreversible visual field problem.

Praveen Patel:

And, Lydia, the other thing about patients that I see with age-related macular degeneration or AMD, is that they’re often asymptomatic when they present, but can rapidly have problems with wet age-related macular degeneration. And by seeing them, we can treat at an early stage.