The importance of having a regular eye examination cannot be understated. In most cases, Medicare will even bulk bill you to ensure you have your eyes checked regularly.

More than 500,000 Australians suffer from some level of vision loss, but 75% of detected vision loss is actually preventable or treatable with early detection (Vision 2020).

The most common form of vision loss in Australia at any age is refractive error, which is easily detected with regular eye tests and corrected by wearing correctly tailored glasses, contact lenses or laser surgery, as well as low vision aids if your vision can no longer be improved.

Many eye diseases show no early warning signs and have no symptoms, but they can often be detected with a simple eye test.

If you have a family history of eye disease or refractive error in your family, or if you are over 40 years make sure you get your eyes checked by your Optometrist or GP at least every 2 years.

Chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and kidney disease also increase the chance of sufferers being exposed to eye disease. In particular, eye diseases such as retinopathy, cataracts and glaucoma. So regular eye tests with your GP, your Optometrist or Dr Goodrich (if you have a current referral) are very important to ensure any changes in your eyes are detected as early as possible.