A survey conducted by Newspoll showed thirteen per cent of Australian men, avoided the optometrist because they're afraid they'll be told they need glasses.

The poll conducted for Specsavers, also revealed that one in then of the 609 men admitted they had never been to an optometrist, the worst offenders, being tradesmen and men who work outdoors; with nearly half (47 per cent) saying they haven't had the recommended biannual eye check within the past two years.

The results exposed an alarming level of apathy among Aussie males.

Dr Harrison Wiesinger, company director and optometrist said, Men tend to take a 'she'll be right mate' attitude towards their health and wait until they are really sick before they seek medical intervention.

Men are at a higher risk for suffering from undiagnosed eye conditions that can cause blindness, such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, if they continued to avoid regular eye checks, said Dr Wiesinger.

About 300,000 Australians are estimated to be affected with glaucoma, with half unaware they're affected, informed the Centre for Eye Research Australia. It is the primary cause of irreversible blindness globally.

Undiagnosed diabetic retinopathy, which is a disease caused by damage to blood vessels that supply the retina, is estimated to affect 200,000 Australian. Early detection by routine eye checks is vital to prevent and manage both conditions.

Men say they aren't having their eyes tested because they don't have any problems seeing things but this has worrying implications when it comes to eye care, noted Dr Wiesinger.

Many of the more serious eye conditions have very few obvious symptoms.

By the time you notice you have a problem with your vision, you may have already suffered irreversible damage.