Prevention is the best form of treatment to stop problems growing for Ireland's blind population.

That's according to Vision Ireland who are appealing for more support from the Oireachtas Health Committee today.

Over 10,000 people are waiting over a year to get their eyes checked and Vision Ireland's Aaron Mullaniff hopes waiting lists can be cut. 

“By investing in early prevention, by investing in early detection and timely treatment… we can really mitigate the personal, social and economic cost associated with vision impairment and blindness that we see coming through our door, day in, day out,” he said. 

Reading glasses.

Roughly 6% of the population live with a visual impairment and Mr Mullaniff said thousands more are being left in limbo, waiting for treatment. 

“We have over 37,000 people waiting for their first outpatient appointment,” he said. 

“That’s 37,000 outpatients waiting and knowing there’s something not quite right with their sight with almost one in three waiting over a year.” 

The risk of blindness increases with age, with the highest incidence rate of the condition recorded among those over 85.

Main image: Doctor examining a patient. Picture by: Alamy.com