Eye health campaign gets Olympic lift

Sir Steve Redgrave has teamed up with RNIB and Specsavers as an ambassador for the transforming eye health campaign.

The five-time Olympic gold medallist will raise awareness for the importance of regular eye tests, along with the early detection and prevention of conditions that lead to avoidable sight loss.

Sir Steve said: ‘If there’s one message I’d like to get across it’s to go to have your eyes tested by your optician regularly.’

As part of his role, Sir Steve will also discuss his own personal experience of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1997 three years before the Sydney Olympics and its associated complications.

‘It really threw a spanner in the works,’ he said. ‘As a fit athlete competing at the highest level I wasn’t expecting that to happen.’

He hopes that such a dialogue will encourage others to get their eyes tested before it is too late. ‘Your eyes are the windows to your overall health and the optician can pick up on conditions a long time before they cause any issues,’ he said.

Sir Steve spoke of the difficulty in coming to terms with his new condition, but also emphasised that, with time and effort, such ailments can be overcome. He said: ‘What I proved throughout my career is that consistency is key, but suddenly it became harder to be consistent.

‘I had to devise strategies to still perform at the highest level. When we got to my fifth Olympics in Sydney we were still able to cross the finish line first.’