The number of Scots with visual impairment will more than double over the next 25 years as a result of high rates of diabetes, smoking and poor health as well as an ageing population, according to RNIB Scotland.
The number of people in Scotland suffering some degree of visual impairment (which the charity predicts will rise to approximately 400,000 by 2033) is one of a number of challenges to be addressed by the Vision 2020 strategy launched in the Scottish parliament on September 3.
Highlighting the problems facing eye care in Scotland, RNIB Scotland director John Legg claimed that together 'smoking and obesity can double sight loss'.
He pointed out that 'Scotland has the second highest level of obesity in the developed world, while adult smoking rates remain higher than in England and Wales at about 27 per cent.'
Backed by the Cross Party Group on Visual Impairment, the strategy aims to raise awareness among Scots of the impact of their lifestyles and health conditions on their vision and was heralded by Scottish Health Secretary, Shona Robison, as 'the most concerted drive to safeguard eyesight ever undertaken in Scotland'.