Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Those of you who know me well, know I am no stranger to running races just for the Bling or the beer in the Goodie bag, so you may be asking yourselves why am I asking for sponsorship for this one?

Well the simple fact is that I have just recently been diagnosed with Primary Open Angle Glaucoma.  I have always known I was at risk of developing problems with my vision because of my very high prescription but there is no family history of glaucoma so it came as  a bit of a shock to be honest.

They say a little knowledge can be a bad thing, and having worked in the opticians I get tested in, I knew there was something pretty serious going on when at my routine annual check in December, the optom started rearranging his next appointments to give me more time and called for a second opinion from one of the other optoms!!  My inter-ocular pressures were high and the optics nerves were also showing signs for concern so I was referred to the eye clinic for further tests, which confirmed I did in fact have glaucoma - very mild in the left eye but worse in the right, which is my good eye, and I have lost some peripheral vision in that one, which is permanent.

Still early days for me, as I have only just started treatment, which is as simple as putting drops in my eyes but I have been assured that I have a treatable type of glaucoma and if I comply with the treatments given me I should have no further loss of vision. which is very good to know.

Glaucoma is the most common cause of preventable blindness in the UK. It is usually painless without symptoms and if left untreated up to 40% of vision can be permanently lost before effects are noticed.

So I have undertaken to represent the International Glaucoma Association (IGA) in the Great Aberdeen Run Half Marathon in a bid to raise awareness of glaucoma and hopefully raise a wee bit of money for them to help carry out their invaluable work.

The IGA is the only charity in the UK solely dedicated to helping people with glaucoma. Established over 40 years ago they raise awareness, promote research into early detection and treatment and support patients and those who care for them .............. Please help me, to help them.  It doesn't need to be a lot, just what you can spare.  

 Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

If you have got this far, good on you but I will leave you with one last thought ....................... When last did you have YOUR eyes tested?