After seven busy days of special events, Manx Blind Welfare Society is celebrating another successful Vision Awareness Week.

Hundreds of people were encouraged to look after their eye health, with many more attending events to highlight awareness of visual impairment and raise funds to support the Society’s work.

During Vision Awareness Week 2016, which ended on Sunday, Society staff and volunteers were joined by Macular Society members to give talks on caring for eyesight to more than 1,000 children at schools across the Isle of Man. Activities included making fruit kebabs, as a healthy, balanced diet can reduce the risk of some sight-threatening conditions.

There were further opportunities to learn about eye health at the RNIB Eye Pod which toured the Island. The Eye Pod simulates four of the most common causes of visual impairment - Glaucoma, Cataracts, Diabetic Eye Disease and Age Related Macular Degeneration – to give visitors an understanding of the impact of sight loss on every day activities for blind and partially sighted people.

Leaflets outlining simple lifestyle changes we can all make to look after our eyes were handed out at the Eye Pod and Vision Awareness Week events.

An open day at the Society’s Corrin Court headquarters in Onchan was an opportunity to find out more about the services and support offered to blind and visually impaired people in the Island, as well as meeting staff and volunteers and discovering ways of supporting Manx Blind Welfare Society’s work.

On Friday, schools, business and other organisations were encouraged to dress in colourful clothing as part of Bright for Sight Day, raising awareness of visual impairment. Many who took part also collected donations to help support the Society’s work.

The third Vision Awareness Week concluded on Sunday with Walk My Way, the Island’s biggest blindfolded guided walk. Despite the rain, plenty of people turned out to walk along Loch Promenade in pairs, with one person blindfolded. The aim was to allow people to experience both walking without sight and what it is like to guide a visually impaired person. The event highlighted the fact that Manx Blind Welfare Society offers free training in guided walking, enabling people to assist the visually impaired safely and confidently.

Manx Blind Welfare Society Chief Executive Ian Cooil said: ‘The aim of Vision Awareness Week is to deliver important messages to as many people as we can, and through our events and talks this year we have achieved that aim.

‘We’re absolutely delighted with the level of interest and support we have received, and pleased to have been able to explain the importance of good eye health to people all over the Island, including hundreds and hundreds of children. Taking action early on to make simple lifestyle choices, such as eating well and not smoking, can help prevent the risk of developing conditions which can damage eyesight. It is also vitally important to have regular eye checks, as early detection can be vital in the treatment and management of many conditions, and we were able to reinforce that message.’

He added: ‘While eye health was our focus this year, the underlying message of Vision Awareness Week is helping people understand the challenges of being visually impaired in the Island, and raise awareness of what can be achieved by blind people when barriers to learning, work and social environments are removed.

‘There are simple steps we can all take to enhance the daily experience of blind and visually impaired people by anticipating and meeting their needs, and we have tried to help people identify what they can do throughout the week.’

Mr Cooil concluded: ‘I’d like to thank Society staff and volunteers who worked so hard to make Vision Awareness Week 2016 such a success, the Macular Society and RNIB which played an important part in the planning and delivery of the events, and the Island community who gave us such wonderful support.’

Manx Blind Welfare Society works year-round to support hundreds of blind and visually-impaired people here in the Isle of Man. To find out more about its work visit www.mbws.org.im

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