New Burnley opticians at Tesco warns of dangers of driving with poor vision

Vision Express joined forces last year with national road safety charity Brake to raise awareness of the importance of regular eye tests, particularly for drivers.

CEO Jonathan Lawson said almost 5,400 people in Burnley are at risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disease which is the most common cause of poor sight in people over the age of 60. It causes damage to the retina in one or both eyes but it is often possible to slow down with medical treatment while frequent eye tests can catch it in the early stages.

The store also campaigns for changes in the law, as current sight tests only require learner drivers to read a registration plate from 20m away during a driving test. Reports found five million drivers on UK roads might fail this if they had to take it again.

Abi Smith, a Brake fund-raiser said: "I was proud to represent our partnership at the opening of the new Burnley store and help the team celebrate.

"We work to prevent further death and serious injuries on our roads - that’s our number one vision. We also provide help to those who have been seriously injured, or bereaved, as a result of a road incident, through our accredited helpline and support literature.

Vision Express also supported the charity's Driving for Zero campaign last summer with a focus on sight and ill health. It acquired Tesco Opticians at the end of 2017 and the Burnley store is one of more than 200 outlets launching across the UK this year.

For more details of the store visit www.visionexpress.com and to find out more about the charity see www.brake.org.uk