Hairy Biker backs eye health campaign

Celebrity chef and one half of the Hairy Bikers, Dave Myers, is backing a campaign launched by Specsavers and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to promote eye health awareness.

Ahead of National Eye Health Week (24–30 September), Mr Myers is urging Britain’s ageing population to make eye health a priority and to book regular sight tests after discovering that he has glaucoma.

My Myers was shocked when he was diagnosed with glaucoma: “Thankfully it was spotted during a routine eye test, but if it had gone unnoticed, I could have gone blind, and that would have had a huge impact on how I do the job I love so much.”

“Like so many people, my career is my passion and it’s so hard to be able to imagine doing all the things I love to do if I couldn’t see, whether it’s riding my bike, reading an autocue or preparing ingredients. The thought that I could have lost my sight is really scary,” he added.

The RNIB highlighted that the over-65 age group is twice as likely to develop an eye health condition and Specsavers research shows that one in four people in Britain are not having a sight test every two years.

Co-founder of Specsavers, Doug Perkins, said: “Our message via Hairy Biker Dave is that an eye test can help detect the health conditions that can go hand-in-hand with ageing – and if left untreated, cause sight loss.”