Short-sighted

Your editorial, "Scottish Government has to prove it can cope with adversity" (12 July) suggested free eye tests might be scrapped to save money.

RNIB Scotland campaigned alongside many others for free eye tests and applauded their introduction in 2006 as a major step forward in the fight against preventable sight loss.

Eye tests are, more precisely, health checks that can identify undetected eye disease as well as measuring refractive error. Early treatment can arrest or even reverse potential damage. Last year alone, more than 70,000 people were referred on to specialists for sight-saving treatment.

Unchecked, sight loss in Scotland is projected to double over the next two decades. This would mean an estimated 400,000 people suffering significant sight loss, placing enormous strain on public sector budgets.

Scrapping free eye tests may seem a short-term cost saving, but in the long-term it would rack up enormous extra costs for the NHS, social services and ultimately the taxpayer.

Scotland is currently a world leader in eye health. Ending free eye tests would not just be a huge step backwards for health prevention, it also would be a potential tragedy for hundreds of people whose eyesight might have been saved but wasn't.

BRYN MERCHANT

Assistant director, RNIB Scotland

Hillside Crescent, Edinburgh