I’m an eye expert and warn you of BBQ mistakes this weekend that could leave you blind
EXPERTS have warned a BBQ this weekend could harm your eyes - and not just from the smoke.
The sun will be out this weekend, prompting families to turn the gas on for some delicious food.
And have urged them to make sure meat is properly cooked to avoid risking their eye health.
Undercooked raw meat can cause a nasty stomach ache, sickness, diarrhoea and more.
But few people will be aware a food poisoning episode could lead to vision loss.
Giles Edmonds, Specsavers clinical services director, said: “BBQ is a summer staple for many of us, but if you’re going to be cooking meat, it is important that you ensure it is done so thoroughly.
Read more on eye health
“Eating raw or undercooked meat can cause toxoplasmosis.
"This is linked to the Toxoplasma parasite which is passed on to livestock before then being consumed by meat eaters.
“If meat isn’t properly cooked it means that these parasites aren’t killed and are still present in the food we’re eating.”
Toxoplasmosis is common and usually harmless, the NHS says, with some people unaware they have been infected.
It may trigger flu-like symptoms, such as a high temperature, tiredness, feeling sick, and a sore throat.
These tend to get better on their own in around six weeks - but some experience more serious problems.
Eye disease from Toxoplasma infection is called ocular toxoplasmosis.
It leaves a person with eye pain, sensitivity to light, blurred vision and watery eyes.
Most read in Health
But researchers from Flinders University, Australia, have found that it can increase the risk of vision loss through retinal scarring.
Mr Edmonds said: “Retinal scarring is often caused by inflammation and can sometimes lead to a retinal detachment.
“Retinal scars aren’t easy to remove which means that any vision lost is unlikely to be restored so can remain obstructed or distorted.
“If you have any concerns, you should always see your optometrist.”
Toxoplasmosis can also be caught from the poo of infected cats (but not from stroking them), which shed microscopic particles for three weeks after infection.
A person can unknowingly ingest Toxoplasma when cleaning their pet cat's litter box.
The cat could also contaminate the garden if it’s allowed outside, where human’s can pick it up from soil when gardening.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says some two per cent of US adults develop eye lesions if they get ocular toxoplasmosis.
It said: “The eye disease can reactivate months or years later, each time causing more damage to the retina.
“If the central structures of the retina are involved there will be a progressive loss of vision that can lead to blindness.”
The condition can be contracted at birth when a mum infected with Toxoplasma passes it onto her child.
By adulthood, some 20 to 80 per cent of babies infected would have developed eye lesions.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Read More on The Sun
Worldwide, toxoplasmosis is the most common cause of inflammation in the back of the eye, according to the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.
Countries where the weather is hot and humid have higher cases.
How to BBQ safely
Thesaid outdoor cooking gives the perfect conditions for bacteria to grow.
Then there are the risks of spreading bacteria from raw meat to ready to eat food, along with the risk of undercooked meat.
It gives some of the following tips:
- Wash your hands before cooking and after you touch raw meat
- Keep utensils and plates clean - do not mix between raw and ready-to-eat
- Never wash raw meat
- Defrost any frozen meat in the fridge overnight
- Clean any grill that has been sat outside for a while
- Make sure charcoal is hot before you start cooking
- Store raw meat away from ready-to-eat food
- Keep food out the fridge for as little time as possible
- Cook meat for enough time. Some meats are safe to eat rare, such as steak. But chicken, pork, burgers, kebabs and sausages are not