“I take my vision and eye health very seriously”

Kaye is a GP and presenter, and the author of titles including: Doctors Get Cancer Too, a memoir about her experience of receiving a diagnosis of bowel cancer at 39 years old, along with The Science of Menopause, and The M Word: Everything you need to know about the menopause.

OT found out more about what eye health and vision mean to her, and why a particular burgundy frame is her favourite.

How many pairs of spectacles or sunglasses do you own? 

I have three glasses, two varifocal and one for distance, and two sunglasses, one varifocal and one distance. Those are the pairs with the right prescriptions at the moment. I have other pairs but the prescriptions are no longer right.  

What frame shapes, colours or styles do you usually go for?   

I have quite a small face, so it isn’t easy to get glasses and I often end up choosing from a youth range. I like a smallish frame as otherwise my face is swamped by the frame.  

Can you describe your favourite pair? 

A small rectangular burgundy frame – they suit my bright red lipstick.  

How long have you worn spectacles for, and what prompted you to go for your first sight test? 

I have worn glasses for distance since my early teens. As children we were all taken for regular eye check-ups so I either told my mum I couldn’t see the board, or it was picked up at a routine check. I remember once though, in medical school, realising very clearly that I needed a new prescription. The hospital I was in had the old-fashioned Florence Nightingale wards of long halls with beds down each side. The consultant asked me something about the patient in bed X and I couldn’t see the person in the bed from the nurse’s station.  

Do you wear contact lenses? 

I wear contact lenses but not very often. I have very dry eyes, worse due to premature menopause and after chemotherapy, and I’m an eye-toucher when I get tired. However, I get better vision in my lenses than in my glasses – you can’t see the glasses frames when you wear lenses.  

What does vision and eye health mean to you? 

I tell my patients that we have one pair of eyes, so we need to look after them. I am incredibly grateful that glasses exist – without them I couldn’t drive or do my job well. I put them on and my vision is brilliant. It’s quite simply life-changing. I take my vision and eye health very seriously and do so for my kids as well – they all regularly have eye tests. Think of it like self-care.  

How important is eyewear to reflecting your personality? 

I think that depends. Some people choose clothing, make-up and eyewear as part of, or to reflect, their personality, and for others it is more of a functional experience. I am practical first and foremost. I want glasses to fit and not fall off my nose or rub behind the ears. But of course I want to look nice. As for reflecting my personality, I think that probably comes through whether I am wearing my glasses or contact lenses.  

What did it mean to you to join the Boots Opticians launch of the optomap earlier this year? 

I was thrilled and excited to be part of the optomap launch – it is a brilliant piece of kit. The eyes truly are a window to the health of your body, and we can see all kinds of changes – not just related to eye health but signs of high blood pressure and diabetes. The technology gives you the most wide-ranging views of the back of the eye.  

What was your impression of the technology? 

That it has the potential to revolutionise what is seen on the High Street and can help people understand that your eye health check is more than just a vision test, but a check of your eyes that can give us clues about the rest of your body. It could help people to think of their eye tests as part of their self-care.