Five people go blind in Ireland every week and more than half of all blindness is preventable

"The fact that every single year in Ireland 260 people go blind and that 50% of these cases could be prevented, is a shocking statistic.  It should stop every one of us in our tracks and make us ask, how this can be happening?”
This was stated by Marian Harkin Independent MEP, at an event to mark World Sight Day in the European Parliament.

She further added "Yet, the answer is straightforward, regular eye tests and, where necessary, adequate and appropriate treatment will minimise visual impairment and significantly reduce the numbers that go blind. We need to make vision loss a public health policy and ensure we have targeted and appropriate screening in place.

“The four major causes of blindness are glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts and AMD.

“If you have a close relative with glaucoma your chances of developing glaucoma are increased tenfold and as you get older the risk increases, yet a simple ten minute eye test will detect the disease, and with appropriate treatment, vision can be preserved.

“Glaucoma is called ‘the silent thief of sight’ because by the time you realise you have it significant irreparable damage will have been done to your optic nerve and your eyesight”.

MEP Harkin urged everyone to "go for an eye test on a regular basis especially if you are over fifty and at any age if there are problems with your vision."

In a study carried out across seven European countries the cost of defective vision to economies was estimated at €7.1 billion, but by investing in cost effective interventions, 50% of blindness in Europe can be avoided”, Independent MEP Marian Harkin concluded.