Over 224,000 people in Ireland are affected by conditions that cause vision loss and this figure is expected to reach 275,000 by 2020, Fighting Blindness has warned.

The sight loss charity has launched a new patient guide to support people who have been diagnosed with retinal conditions. The aim of the guide is to ‘cut through the science and medical jargon often associated with our eyes' and provide information that is easy to understand.

It contains details about how the eyes work, the various eye tests available and the role of different eye health professionals. It also looks specifically at a number of conditions, such as diabetes-related sight loss, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa.

According to Mr David Keegan, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at the Mater Hospital in Dublin, who helped develop the guide, access to credible information can be difficult, so this will be ‘a great resource' for patients and professionals working in this area.

"Every day in my practice, I see the huge impact that sight loss has on people. Not only does it affect the individual concerned, but it can have a huge ripple effect across families. These challenges are not only practical in terms of how we go about living our day-to-day lives, but they are also psychological as we mentally adjust from a sighted to a partially or even non-sighted world," he said.

Also commenting on the guide, Avril Daly, chief executive of Fighting Blindness, pointed out that being diagnosed with a condition that causes sight loss can be ‘challenging and difficult'.

"It's so important that people have access to information that is easy to digest, and details on the options available to them so that they can begin to work through what it means for them and how they will live their lives," she said.

She added that the guide also contains details about the research activities undertaken by the charity. Since its establishment in 1983, Fighting Blindness has invested more than €15 million in over 70 research projects.

The guide can be downloaded here. Alternatively hard copies can be obtained by emailing info@fightingblindness.ie or calling (01) 678 9004.

For more information on eye health in general, see our Eye Clinic here