DRIVERS across Gwent may be putting themselves and other road users at risk by not meeting the legal vision standard for driving, an optician has warned.

Specsavers issued the warning during National Road Safety Week, an annual initiative organised by the charity Brake.

It comes after results from vision screenings carried out by the optician at the Royal Welsh Show this year revealed that almost half (49 per cent) of people tested using specialist vision screening equipment did not have the required levels of vision to legally drive.

A corresponding survey also highlighted that many Welsh road-users are not complying with the recommendation to have an eye test every two years. More than a third (38 per cent) of those surveyed said that they had not had a sight test in the last two years, meaning that any changes in their sight may have gone undetected.

Jason Williams, director at Specsavers in Newport, says: "These results prove that eyesight still isn’t a big enough concern for drivers on the roads today." Sight usually deteriorates slowly and can easily go unnoticed, which is why it is so important for drivers to get their eyes tested every two years.”

For more information call 0800 068 0241 or log onto www.specsavers.co.uk to find your nearest store.