Exeter Golf & Country Club president raises £1,400 for Macular Society

The 2015 Club President, Liz Turner has announced she has raised over £1400 for Macular Society on World Sight Day.

World Sight Day is an annual event on the second Thursday in October to raise awareness of blindness and vision impairment as major international public health issues.

The World Health Organization and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness coordinate events and activities for World Sight Day. The purpose of World Sight Day is to raise awareness and influence governments to participate in and designate funds for national blindness prevention programs worldwide. The events and activities taking place also work towards educating people about blindness prevention, about VISION 2020 and its activities, and to generate support for VISION 2020 program activities.

The Macular Society has been supporting people with macular conditions like age-related macular degeneration for over 25 years. Offering free information and support, the charity also funds research to find a cure. Liz Turner chose the Macular Society as vision impairment is a condition which affects many people, particularly later in life and is a condition which left untreated can have a detrimental effect on the life of suffers.

Macular conditions affect the central part of the retina and cause loss of central vision. Macular disease is the most common cause of sight loss in industrialised countries. Some other conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein occlusion can also damage the macula.

Having suffered a degenerative macular condition since 2007, Liz faces the impending loss of central vision if the condition wasn’t controlled by medicine.

Liz said, “I know first-hand how macular degeneration can affect lives however I am lucky enough to have mine treated with injections. I also have a problem with epiretinal membrane which causes distortion of my vision. This will eventually result in an operation to remove the membrane, which will result in a cataract. Macular degeneration primarily affects older people and so it is vitally important we educate our youngsters about looking after their eyes. It is so important to protect the eyes with sunglasses especially during outdoor sports, and to have their eyes checked regularly by an optician so that prescriptive glasses can be provided. I whole-heartedly support World Sight Day as vision is so important throughout life and an impairment of vision can be quite debilitating for children and adults.

“I am delighted by the support I have received so far with my fundraising for the Macular Society and would like to thank all the members and our guests at Exeter Golf and Country Club who have contributed towards my charity of the year.”

The fundraising activities have so far included a men’s golf day, a ladies golf day, a dinner raffle at the President’s Dinner and individual donations.