Cyclists urged to take care of their eyes

Cyclists are being targeted with an eye health campaign from Transitions, Vision Express and the national cyclists’ organisation, CTC.

The trio have launched the Eye Cycle Safe campaign to encourage cyclists to take more care of their vision and understand some of the risk factors to the eye while cycling.

The campaign was launched last week (June 2) in Hyde Park where vision screening was offered to cyclists, along with details of research conducted among 1,500 CTC members.

This showed that one in four cyclists had either never had an eye exam or hadn’t had one in the last two years and that 42 per cent wore no eye protection or protection that didn’t offer UV blocking.

General manager of Transitions Optical EMEA Lindsay Brown said: ‘It is especially important for cyclists to protect their eyes from UV rays, given how much time they spend outdoors. Long-term exposure to the sun’s UV rays can result in a range of eye health problems including age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.’

John Storms, business development manager at CTC, said he welcomed any move that improved the health and safety of its 70,000 members. They will be offered half-price eye examinations and 10 per cent off Transitions lenses at Vision Express. He suggested many cyclists wore sunglasses as protection in the summer but not when light conditions were poor. ‘Transitions lenses are perfect for cyclists because you don’t have to change glasses around.’

Mark Harris, senior optician at Vision Express, said some of the cyclists taking advantage of the screening in Hyde Park were concerned about their vision and took the opportunity to be screened. He said the project would raise awareness of eye health and help drive cyclists to have an eye exam. One cyclist who dropped in to be screened had been concerned about his vision and was delighted to be told he was simply becoming presbyopic.

Harris suggested some cyclists treated eyewear as a fashion accessory and didn’t consider proper correction, UV damage and protection from insects and debris.

The screening roadshow will be staged in towns and cities around the country over the coming weeks and promoted by the CTC to its members. Cyclists can take advantage of the Vision Express offers by visiting www.eyecyclesafe.com.