Diabetic RetinaScreen welcomes the Eye Am What I Eat campaign launched by celebrity chef, Andrew Rudd, Diabetes Ireland, NCBI (the National Sight Loss Agency), Fighting Blindness, the Irish College of Ophthalmologists (ICO), the Association of Optometrists Ireland (AOI) and Novartis. The campaign aims to raise awareness of diabetic macular edema (DME) a form of diabetic retinopathy that can have a severe effect on vision, causing significant sight loss. Diabetic retinopathy is a common complication of diabetes and is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults in Ireland.
Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy can include blurred vision and black spots or ‘floaters’ that appear to float in your eye. According to eye doctor Mark Cahill, spokesperson for the Irish College of Ophthalmologists and retinal specialist at the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital, “If diabetic retinopathy is not detected in the early stages it can lead to vision impairment and even vision loss. Eating well and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are hugely important but it is also essential for anyone with diabetes to have their eyes screened annually in order to detect the signs of diabetic retinopathy as early as possible.”
So what do you know about eating for your eye health? Here’s your chance to find out more and enter our Eye am What I Eat campaign competition.
To get involved, and to help raise awareness of DME and diabetic retinopathy, people are invited to simply develop a recipe for eye health, and include in the recipe one or more of the “Top 10 Foods for Eye Health” listed at www.eyeamwhatIeat.ie.
All recipes must be submitted at www.eyeamwhatIeat.ie or by post to “Eye Am What I Eat” c/o Pembroke Communications, 5 Floor, Whitaker Court, Whitaker Square, Dublin 2 by 5pm on Monday 7 July.
Four finalists will be shortlisted by the judging panel and invited to attend the final event on Wednesday 23 July at Medley, Andrew’s private dining venue in Dublin City Centre, where the recipes will be prepared by Andrew and an overall winner will be selected. The event will be hosted by radio and TV personality, Ronan Collins, and prizes will include a six course tasting menu for the winner, and a four course meal for two for the runners-up, all prepared by Andrew Rudd at Medley.
Sinéad Hanley, Senior Dietitian at Diabetes Ireland, explains “Following a healthy lifestyle by taking regular physical activity and achieving a healthy weight through a balanced diet is the key to managing your diabetes and maintaining healthy eyes and reducing the risk of developing DME and diabetic retinopathy. It is also important to ensure people with diabetes get their eyes screened regularly.
Diabetic RetinaScreen - The National Diabetic Retinal Screening Programme offers free, regular screening and treatment of diabetic retinopathy for people with diabetes, aged 12 and older.
“I cannot express strongly enough how important it is for everyone, on receipt of their invitation letter, to ring for their appointment. Attending for regular eye screening appointments will significantly improve your chances of avoiding eye problems in the future”, added Sinéad Hanley.
Anna Moran from Fighting Blindness also commented, “This campaign is about empowering people to take positive steps to look after their vision health. Being diagnosed with a condition causing sight loss can be very difficult. The good news is that through regular and effective retina screening, diabetic retinopathy can be caught early and effectively treated. We hope that this campaign will encourage anyone with diabetes to take care of their eye health by participating in this excellent and helpful screening programme.”
References:
Chou TH et al., Eye. 2009; 23: 1360-1363
NCBI, the National Sight loss Agency www.ncbi.ie