The sensation of a rogue eyelash creating a slight blur in Pamela Band's vision turned out to be a crucial sign that glaucoma was robbing her of her eyesight.
Ms Band has joined Tauranga MP Simon Bridges in calling on people aged over 40 to have their eyes tested for the blinding disease. Mr Bridges had his eyes examined yesterday at Langford Callard Optometrist.
``Once you hit a certain age, probably 40, you're a fool if you don't have a check up every few years. For 10 minutes of your life, you're ensuring good sight,'' Mr Bridges told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend.
``The eye is so important and we can take it for granted but without really good vision, life becomes so much more difficult, so it's really good to get this glaucoma check up.''
Glaucoma is the number one preventable cause of blindness in New Zealand.