The Scottish Vision Strategy is a landmark five-year drive to improve the eye-health of Scots.
At its launch in the Scottish Parliament in September 2008, Health Minister Shona Robison heralded its as "the most concerted drive to safeguard eyesight ever undertaken in Scotland".
RNIB Scotland, Guide Dogs for the Blind and Optometry Scotland are all backing the strategy. Drafted in response to a World Health Assembly Resolution, it will aim to raise public awareness, especially among those most at risk of eye-disease. This will include targeted public health campaigns, earlier detection of sight-threatening conditions, and more integrated support for those with sight loss. International research has shown there is a four-fold return on investment in early eye-care intervention.
Although Scotland is already leading the way in many eye-care services, including free eye-examinations, RNIB Scotland predicts that over the next 25 years the number of Scots with some degree of visual impairment will more than double to 400,000, partly due to an ageing population, but also to Scotland's persistently poor health record.
The Scottish Vision Strategy signals a determination to work together to make a real and lasting difference to eye-health, and to improve the lives of those who have lost some or all of their sight.
An interim report, 'Success in Sight?', was published in March 2012, assessing progress to date in meeting Scottish Vision Strategy objectives.