MOST people consider their sight to be a very precious part of themselves and yet one in five people live with sight loss in their lifetime, even though at least half of all cases are preventable.

A new report by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and high street opticians Specsavers says almost six million people in the UK currently live with a sight condition and yet 25 per cent of the population are not having regular eye tests.

The Royal College of Optometrists recommends people should have an eye test every two years and the extent of the problem means nearly every family in Britain is affected by sight problems in some way.

Jonathan Belcher, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Optical Regional chairman, said: “The report highlights some disturbing trends specific to the West Midlands region.

“It shows in particular that people aren’t viewing sight tests as a valuable health check – with 89 per cent unaware of the impact smoking can have on their eyes.

“It also highlighted that people in the region are waiting until they have symptoms that inhibit their day-to-day life to seek help from the optician or GP.

“It’s very worrying because often very treatable conditions are symptomless in their early stages, and have become serious, or even untreatable, by the time the signs are beginning to show.

“It’s important for us to highlight the extent of the problem, which affects nearly every family in the region in some way.”

RNIB acting chief executive officer Sally Harvey says: “Our report reveals new evidence that one in five people will live with sight loss in their lifetime, so our work is now more important than ever. The eye health crisis looks set to deepen and the cost burden is destined to soar unless urgent action is taken.

“Almost 80 per cent of people living with sight loss are over the age of 64, so with an ageing population expected to retire later, more of our national workforce will be impacted by sight loss.

“Alongside rapidly growing demand for eye care services and capacity problems in some clinics at a time of growing budget deficits, we are facing an extremely challenging time for eye health in the UK and we must take action now.

“We will continue to press for integrated services and effective referral and treatment for local communities as a key way of tackling the capacity problems in hospital eye departments.

“We will champion active planning that is based on the eye health needs of local communities and we will present conclusions from our policy roundtables to a parliamentary inquiry on eye health services.”

The State Of The Nation Eye Health 2017: A Year in Review report, launched ahead of National Eye Health Week (September 18 – 24), is an annual benchmark of Britain’s eye health by RNIB and Specsavers, who joined forces in 2016 to raise awareness of the importance of eye health at every level to help prevent avoidable sight loss.

While a YouGov survey commissioned for the report suggests 1.1 million more people took action to improve their eye health by visiting an optician since the campaign launched last September, there is much still to be done, according to Specsavers founder Doug Perkins.

An optometrist for more than 50 years, he says: “We are calling on political leaders, senior decision makers in health and social care and local champions to work together to ensure that people receive timely treatment to prevent avoidable sight loss.

“Without this leadership the eye health crisis will continue to worsen and patients’ sight will be put increasingly at risk, deepening the economic burden that we already estimate will rise from £28 billion today if nothing is done now.”

The report also revealed that:

• Sight is the nation’s most precious sense by far; 10 times more people (78 per cent of people) said sight was the sense they fear losing most compared to the next most popular sense, smell (8 per cent), followed by hearing (7 per cent)

• Almost a quarter of people are ignoring the first signs of sight loss; despite not being able to see as well in the distance or close up as they used to, 23 per cent have not sought advice from an optician or medical professional

• More than 80 per cent of people are not aware that an optician can spot the early signs of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the UK

• People put their boiler before their eye health; half of UK adults have their boiler serviced once a year, over a third renew their mobile phone contract every two years, while 50 per cent of UK adults last had their eyes tested more than a year ago or never

• Research suggests Brits check their teeth more often than their eyes; 42 per cent visit the dentist once every six months (equating to four times over two years) while 25 per cent of UK adults haven’t had an eye test in the past two years or at all

• A quarter of people who spend £50 a year on shoes would not be prepared to pay anything at all for an eye test

According to Sight Concern Worcestershire the single most important thing people can do to protect their eyes is go to an optician on a regular basis – every two years for people under 70 and every year for people over.

“An eye examination is not just about whether you need new glasses – it is an eye health check-up. You can have the early stages of an eye condition without knowing anything about it. An eye examination will detect this and enable you to get the treatment you need,” says the charity.

Smoking increases the risk of sight loss and smokers are twice as likely to develop Age Related Macular Degeneration – the leading cause of sight loss in the UK – than non-smokers.

People who eat healthily and avoid becoming overweight have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, which can also affect the eyes. A fifth of people with type 2 diabetes will develop diabetic retinopathy, while 40 per cent of people with type 1 diabetes are affected by the disease. Cataracts are also affected by a person’s diet.

Sight Concern Worcestershire recommends eating a number fruits and vegetables containing vitamins A,C and E as well as anti-oxidents to maintain healthy eyes. These include tomatoes, red peppers, oranges, carrots, peaches, sweet potatoes, apricots, mango, bananas, kale, spinach, broccoli, peas, cabbage, kiwi fruit, green grapes, blueberries and aubergines.

Other foods recommended to help eye health are oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines; egg yolks; nuts and pulses.