30 June 2026
Teams from SpaMedica and Freedom Vision headed for the pitch in an initiative to demonstrate the functional impact of cataracts.
The Bolton event was held for Cataract Awareness Month, recognised in June.
Teams of hospital staff, head office employees and optical professionals from the two ophthalmology providers participated in a series of penalty shootouts and crossbar challenges whilst wearing cataract simulation goggles.
The results of the challenge revealed penalty accuracy whilst wearing the goggles dropped by 75%, while successful crossbar attempts reduced by half.
Professor Christine Purslow, clinical director of outpatients at SpaMedica, commented: “We all work in the clinical environment, and every day we’re testing what people can see. But real life isn’t how many letters patients can see on a chart – it’s whether they can do the tasks they need to and participate in things they enjoy.”
Purslow continued: “This initiative indicates that incorporating functional questions into consultations, for example – around driving, watching TV and mobility – could help optometrists identify vision issues and assess where a referral may be appropriate.”
Participants reported difficulties with balance, spatial awareness and depth perception.
Richard Peric-Matthews, NHS trust partnerships director represented the Freedom Vision team, and said: “It was really difficult and my sense of balance went. It even made me feel a bit ill. It was a lot harder than I expected. I thought I’d still know where my feet were, but I definitely didn’t.”
Jess Smith, business-to-business marketing lead for SpaMedica and Freedom Vision, helped to organise the event, sharing: “This challenge is about reinforcing what it’s like to live with cataracts and how people’s independence is taken away from them by this condition.”
“Like much of the country, we’re all keenly anticipating the summer of football and cheering on the Three Lions, so this offered a great opportunity to get into the spirit and raise awareness of the impact of cataracts,” she added.
Continuing the football-theme, Dr Alex Silvester, chief medical officer for SpaMedica, is calling on optical professionals to help raise awareness of how the World Cup could help families spot warning signs for cataracts.
These include sitting closer to the TV than normal, confusing which players are on the ball, asking others for the score or time because captions appear blurred, adjusting the TV brightness, or turning up the volume to compensate for impaired vision.
Comments (0)
You must be logged in to join the discussion. Log in