Britain's greatest Olympian, rower Sir Steve Redgrave, was the guest speaker at the opening ceremony of the BCLA clinical conference on May 29.
Hosted by Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, the themed event included Olympic flames, fireworks, and Chinese food and entertainment, to mark the company's role as official vision care product partner of this year's Beijing Olympics.
The only British athlete to win Gold Medals at five consecutive Olympic Games, Redgrave spoke of the physical and emotional strain of maintaining his position at the top of his chosen sport, culminating in the Sydney Games in 2000.
Redgrave told Optician that he first started rowing at about 13 years of age and at 16 was told that he could be a world champion. He wore spectacles as a child but rowing was a sport where perfect vision was not essential. Good peripheral vision was important, however, especially as he took on the role of team tactician.
'In most sports it's an advantage to be behind - when you decide to make a move you can be decisive. Rowing is different in that you can see everything that's behind you, rather than in front,' he said.
Back in the 70s, there was little thought given to UV exposure or potential damage to the eyes when rowing. Today, the importance of eye protection was recognised and UV protection was always worn.
Three years before the Sydney Olympics, Redgrave was diagnosed with diabetes and found that he was constantly running out of energy. Yet he went on to overcome his health problem and win a fifth Gold Medal at the Games. 'It made me mentally tougher,' he said. He now has regular eye examinations to check for diabetic eye disease.
