Getting Groovy with Glasses this Funky Eye Friday

Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB)

14 September 2007

Getting Groovy with Glasses this Funky Eye Friday

On Friday 21 September, primary school students nationwide have the chance to let their imaginations run wild. They will be participating in Funky Eye Friday, an educational day designed to promote children's eye health and safety.

Children from across New Zealand will be creating fun, creative and crazy eye glasses frames in a bid to raise awareness about how important it is to have your eyes checked regularly, and to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun.

The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB) has been promoting Funky Eye Friday for a number of years. This year, Dirty Dog sunglasses are up for grabs for the students who design the most innovative frames.

Alena Reznichenko, Community Education Consultant at the RNZFB says, "Funky Eye Friday is about helping teachers, children and parents understand how vital it is to look after your eyes. Eighty percent of children's learning happens through vision, making it essential that everyone knows what to look out for when it comes to potential sight problems.

"The best way to look after children's sight is to take them for regular eye exams by an optometrist, so that any problems can be diagnosed early on. Children should also wear safety glasses to protect their eyes from injuries, and sunglasses so that their eyes are protected from UVA and UVB rays."

It is estimated that approximately 100 people damage their eyes through injuries every day in New Zealand, and that 90% of these injuries could have been prevented if safety glasses had been worn.

"It's important that we use Funky Eye Friday to instil in children the idea that glasses are cool and necessary for eye health", says Mrs Reznichenko.

To find out more about how to care for your eyes, go to http://www.rnzfb.org.nz/learnaboutblindness/caringforyoureyes

Hot on the heels of Funky Eye Friday is Blind Week, running 23-29 October. "See the Difference You Make" at www.blindweek.org.nz.

ENDS

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