Celebrating National Eye Health Week

Partnership working: Tracy and a member of the Boots team

OPTiC held two events during National Eye Health Week, in York city centre.

Wednesday – York Explore Library

An Information stand was erected in the main entrance to the library and we were joined by a member of staff from Boots Opticians based on Parliament Street. 

As people entered the library, they were made aware that it was National Eye Health Week and free eye screening tests were offered and taken up by some. Information about the importance of eye health was also provided along with advice on good nutrition the benefits of which helps with protecting and keeping eyes healthy. Additional information was provided to people seeking details on specific eye conditions along with the benefits of visiting an optician for a complete eye test and support available both locally and nationally to those living with sight loss. 

Encouragingly, many people showed an interest in increasing their knowledge about eye care and, not to engage with our younger audience, we handed out National Eye Health Week balloons to the children.

Engaging the public

Thursday – Boots UK

Once again we joined forces with staff from the optical department to provide information and advice to the public. It was really helpful to have the support of the staff at Boots, and the Regional Manager who was present on the day commented that it was a great opportunity for Boots to work with a local charity and promote the importance of good eye health.

As part of these events for National Eye Health week, a survey was undertaken to find out the public’s awareness of eye health and sight loss.

Methodology

The survey was conducted by asking randomly selected members of the public three multiple choice questions about sight loss facts and recording the number of questions correctly answered. The results for York are depicted in the graph below.

Sight Loss Survey: The results