Students can see their future eye health with the help of virtual-aging machine

February 9, 2010

Students in the United Kingdom are being given the opportunity to see what their futures hold in store for their appearance and eye health.

A virtual-aging booth is making its way around the country as part of the Royal National Institute of Blind People's (RNIB) Future Vision tour. Students will use the booth to see what they might look like at age 70 based on their current lifestyle choices, as well as the chances of them losing their vision later in life.

Some students were impressed by the technology, and noted that it helped them change their bad habits in order to potentially save their vision.

"I learned quite a bit, such as how important it is to have regular eye tests and how if a person smokes it can severely damage your eyes," said student Danny Ruane, who also noted that he would be quitting smoking.

According to the American Optometric Association, smoking can increase an individual's risk for developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) as well as cataracts.