Pittwater Life March 2017 Issue

Health & Wellbeing
Eco Corner
We’ve had some big days
for solar in 2017! Heat
waves have highlighted the
challenges of supply and
demand faced by the grid.
Demand soared when air
conditioners were cranked.
Less than 14% of our energy
is currently produced from
renewable sources, the rest
from fossil fuels. Our target is
to produce almost one quarter
of Australia’s energy needs,
powering 5 million households
by 2020. It’s a modest target.
We have the sunshine, wind,
geo thermal capacity and
waves but do we lack the will,
unlike China, and India. The
world’s largest solar power
plant in India covers 10 sq km.
By 2022, India plans to power
60 million homes by the sun!
Our key challenges lie in
generation, storage and peak
demand management. The
intermittent nature of wind
and solar-powered electricity
has impacted its viability
but as battery technology
is improved it’s becoming
possible to store solar energy.
If you’re home during the
day, you can use your solar
power as it’s produced to cool
your house when you need
it most, run the dishwasher
and washing machine and
recharge the electric car.
And energy prices are
going thought the roof. The
great news is that people
are developing smart,
affordable storage and energy
management solutions. The
game changer is technology
which is disrupting the energy
market and gradually lowering
the price, enabling renewable
energy to undercut coalpowered
electricity.
Electricity is the largest
source of greenhouse gas
emissions in Australia. Thanks
to technology, renewable
sources are finally becoming
viable. We’ve
just got to
move faster.
Why you may not
see eye disease
Did you know a 360° eye
consultation could save
your sight? The Facts
around Eye health in Australia
don’t lie:
l 4.1 million Australians have
not had their eyes tested recently
and one million have
never had an eye exam;
l 1 in 4 Australians are at risk
of losing all or part of their
vision due to eye disease –
nearly half of these individuals
wait until their eyes
deteriorate before getting
them checked;
l The 2016 National Eye
Health Survey (NEHS) revealed
more than 50% of the
4,836 participants found to
have an eye condition were
unaware they had that condition
prior to the survey;
and
l 1 in 5 children suffers from
an undetected vision problem
and awareness around
children’s eye health is low.
Beckenham Optometrist, in
conjunction with Optometry
Australia, are launching the
‘You may not see eye disease
coming’ Preventive Eyecare
Campaign to highlight the
dangers of not having a regular
eye examination.
Our experience tells us the
main reason someone visits
an optometrist today is that
they experience some sort
of vision change. But many
with Rowena Beckenham
symptoms of eye disease are
invisible, so it is essential that
Australians of all ages not wait
for a problem before seeing
their local optometrist.
Early detection of conditions
such as Macular Degeneration
and Glaucoma, as well
as signs of Cardiovascular
Disease and Diabetes can be
detected in a comprehensive
eye examination. This consultation
is the main weapon
against avoidable vision loss
and blindness, picking up the
early signs of disease so it can
be diagnosed and treated.
The 360° eye consultation
includes a holistic and
extensive eye examination
plus advice on health, diet and
lifestyle and the latest eyewear
solutions for maintaining
healthy eyes and vision.
* The facts and figures
in this release are sourced
from research conducted
by: Australian Institute
of Health and Welfare
(AIHW); Australian Bureau
of Statistics (ABS) 2011–
12 National Health Survey
(NHS); Line of Sight blueprint
by Optometry Australia;
Vision Australia; aihw.gov.au;
and visioneyeinstitute.com.au
Comment supplied by Rowena Beckenham, of
Beckenham Optometrist in Avalon (9918 0616). Rowena
has been involved in all facets of independent private
practice optometry in Avalon for 16 years, in addition
to working as a consultant to the optometric and
pharmaceutical industry, and regularly volunteering in
Aboriginal eyecare programs in regional NSW.
Health & Wellbeing
Russell
Lamb is the
Founder of
ecodownunder
MARCH 2017 45