Last week most of the national newspapers and many regional titles reported on a drivers' vision trial undertaken in South Wales.
The survey, organised by the National Public Health Service for Wales, tested the vision of 300 drivers on the A40 near Abergavenny. A spokesman for NPHS said he hoped the exercise would be repeated and extended throughout Wales. Lancashire Constabulary is also reported to be planning roadside checks.
The Welsh trial, conducted jointly by Gwent Police and the ophthalmology department at Newport's Royal Gwent Hospital, used number plates positioned at varying distances to check drivers' visual acuity. The drivers remained in the car and were quizzed by the ophthalmology team on a range of issues relating to eye care.
The spokesman said the test was designed to explore the scope of the problem surrounding drivers with inadequate vision and raised awareness of the public health issues.
Of the 300 drivers assessed, however, just five failed the test. Of those five, four had glasses but chose not to wear them. The test was voluntary but the spokesman said just one person refused to take part.
Inspector Glyn Fernquest of Gwent Police said he hoped the exercise would raise public awareness and encourage people to have regular vision checks. He also reminded the public that driving without the required vision carried a fine of up to £1,000 and three penalty points.
In 2004, the RNIB found that one in three drivers in Great Britain were at risk because of poor eyesight. A third of all drivers in its research had not had their eyes tested in the last two years, showing a worrying complacency about eye health.
An RNIB spokesman said: 'We welcomed the tests that were carried out recently in Wales. The results are interesting and surprising.'
When asked if the NPHS had been surprised by the low level of failures the spokesman said there had been no expectation of failure rates: 'Was that a representative sample? I don't know.'
