Many drivers in Wales have poor eyesight

September 8, 2010

According to a survey conducted by LV car insurance, nearly one in 10 Welsh motorists neglect to wear contact lenses or prescribed glasses, despite the fact that 45 percent of drivers hold a vision prescription, according to WalesOnline.co.uk.

Throughout the United Kingdom, 4.2 million drivers who admit to not wearing their glasses when operating a vehicle also admitted that their vision was "not perfect." An additional one million people who wear corrective lenses said they preferred not to wear their glasses when driving, or had lost or forgotten about them.

"Regardless of how accurate you feel your eyesight is, it generally changes over time and it may not be immediately noticeable because you tend to get used to imperfect vision as it slowly deteriorates," Tony Russell, a vision expert, told the news source.

Adrian Tink, a motoring strategist, told the news source that people should wear their glasses to avoid causing an accident that could result in a serious injury or worse.

The American Optometric Association recommends that adults visit their eye doctor for a full examination at least once every two years.