A vote at the National Assembly today marks the first step in stopping thousands of people in Wales from losing their sight unnecessarily. This afternoon in Cardiff Bay, politicians voted unanimously in support of a motion tabled by Chair of the Health Committee Mark Drakeford AM, calling on the Welsh Government to make a measurable reduction in avoidable sight loss a public health priority.
Sarah Rochira, Director of RNIB Cymru, said: "There are currently around 115,000 people living with severe sight loss in Wales and the number of people with sight loss is expected to double by 2050. Over 50 per cent of sight loss can be avoided, however, simply by ensuring people wear correctly prescribed glasses or have the right treatment at the right time.
"Despite this, and despite the significant cost and impact of sight loss to both individuals and wider society, far too few people are going for regular sight tests. Provision of children's eye screening in schools is patchy at best, and there are no significant campaigns or initiatives to raise awareness of eye health.
"We warmly welcome the commitment made by the Health Minister today to make sight loss a public health priority and look forward to working with her to develop the new strategies and initiatives needed to ensure no-one needlessly loses their sight in Wales".