On the road for eye care

When you’re driving a car, is your eyesight good enough to read the numberplate in front? … it reads TAK3 AN 3Y3 T35T.

Beware, you won’t find this registration on a car, this was Guide Dogs' billboard message to warns drivers not to let hidden eye diseases take them off the road.

Guide Dogs’ posters have been designed by Gero Grundmann; a Royal College of Arts (RCA) research associate. He teamed up with the charity for its Healthy Eyes campaign, highlighting the importance of regular sight check-ups as people get older.

Gero explains: "Elsewhere in Europe, people are legally required to undergo a full eye test every two years, but the DVLA’s only requirement is that someone can read a numberplate before taking to the roads.

"As well as sight problems remaining undiagnosed, there is a serious risk that people with poor eye-sight endanger other drivers and that’s why the law in the UK needs changing."

The threat of eye problems such as glaucoma, macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy all rise steeply with age, but many of these conditions could be controlled if diagnosed early enough by an optician.

Guide Dogs also wants to make eye care ‘cool’ this summer by encouraging the wearing of shades, blocking out the sun’s harmful rays. A complimentary Shades Day education and fundraising pack, and information about Healthy Eyes, is available by logging on to the website www.shadesday.org.uk.