A new report from the European Parliament has called for 10-yearly eye tests for all car and motorcycle drivers, with the over 65s tested every five years.
The Own Initiative report called for concerted action to reduce the 35,000 deaths on European roads, costing £130bn annually, and sets out a series of steps for national governments, the European Commission (EC) and stakeholders to reduce road accidents.
The EC has said that it supported many of the proposed actions and would consider the proposals and translate some into 'concrete actions', while noting that member states and stakeholders should also play their part in improving road safety.
The Optical Confederation (OC) commented: 'The report is timely since the UK government has yet to implement the updated European visual requirements for drivers, and the report will draw the Commission's attention to the issue.'
Mark Nevin, on behalf of the OC, added: 'We welcome the European Parliament's recognition of the importance of ongoing assessment of all drivers' vision. We have always maintained that vision has received inadequate attention to date as an area with scope to deliver road safety improvements.'
David Wright on behalf of the International Glaucoma Association said: 'We will do our part to raise awareness among the public but our efforts can only go so far. Just as with seatbelt wearing, we need a legislative backstop to ensure that all drivers attend for regular checks on their vision, which is key to early detection of conditions such as glaucoma.'
The UK government's proposals for drivers' vision standards make no provision for ongoing assessment and have been opposed by road safety, transport and health stakeholders.