More than 300,000 Scottish adults have never had their eyes tested

• More than 300,000 Scottish adults have never had their eyes tested
• More than three quarters (78 per cent) of Scottish adults say their eye health is very important to them
• Worryingly, a fifth (19 per cent) believe no diseases can be spotted during eye exams
• Scottish adults are willing to pay more for the most advanced technology in their eye exams
• Survey commissioned by Dunfermline-based retinal imaging tech experts, Optos

Thousands of adults (355,840^[1]) in Scotland have never had their eyes tested by an optician – potentially putting their vision at risk.

The survey of Scottish adults was commissioned by retinal imaging technology experts, Optos. It revealed that more than three quarters (78 per cent) of people in Scotland considered their eye health as very important to them. In Edinburgh, this increased to more than 80 per cent while in Glasgow, this figure dropped to 74 per cent.

Despite caring about the health of their eyes, the pandemic had prevented two-fifths (40 per cent) from attending appointments. Half (50 per cent) of those surveyed said it was because they worried about how safe it was to attend, while 24 per cent said there were no appointments available and 15 per cent were shielding or self-isolating.

Gareth Steer, VP of European Sales at Optos said: “Over the past year, we’ve all been spending more time at home and in front of screens. From working at a laptop or sitting watching TV, there are increasing concerns around eye health and a rise in cases of eye strain.

“Sight loss prevention charity, Fight for Sight, recently found that more than a third^[2] of people felt their eyesight had worsened since the start of the pandemic. 

“We want people across Scotland to know that opticians using advanced retinal imaging technology are able to carry out their appointments in a safe way and will be able to identify any potential problems early, reducing the risk of eye disease and protecting eyesight.”

Encouragingly, people in Scotland do see the value in having the best eye exam possible and value expert advice. More than two thirds (64 per cent) state that they want the reassurance that potential issues are found early.

Opticians were considered the number one authority on eye health. Almost three quarters (72 per cent) said that they always follow the advice of their optician, above GPs (57 per cent), nurses (40 per cent) and pharmacists (35 per cent).

Six in 10 (63 per cent) said they would pay more for an eye exam that uses more advanced imaging technology because their eye health is so important to them.

Despite this, more than half (54 per cent) do not realise signs of diabetes are visible in a retinal eye exam, 49 per cent do not realise certain cancers can be detected, while 19 per cent don’t believe any eye diseases can be found in a retinal eye exam at all.

Gareth Steer added: “Advanced imaging technology is proven to support opticians in spotting potential vision and life-altering issues early. This includes diabetes, certain cancers, high blood pressure and detached retinas.

“A big part of this is education. We need to be more aware of the importance of eye care and attending eye appointments, even if you don’t think you have any issues. Advanced retinal imaging technology means opticians can carry out a very detailed exam quickly and from a safe distance.

“At Optos, we’re doing all we can to help raise awareness around the benefits of regular eye care examinations. The survey clearly shows that eye health is very important to people across Scotland so it’s essential we all make our vision a priority and ensure we find problems and treat them early.”