A NATIONAL optician is offering free eye tests in Stockton on Friday as statistics show sight loss due to glaucoma is higher than the national average in the town.

Vision Express is offering the 30 minute eye tests on board the Vision Van between 9am and 5pm as part of a UK-wide tour for World Glaucoma Week.

The town was identified as having higher rates of glaucoma, a silent sight-threatening condition.

Public Health Outcomes Framework Data figures show that the rate of sight loss due to glaucoma is 16.4 per cent, in comparison to the national average of 12.8 per cent in Stockton.

And half of local residents are aged over 40, one of the “at risk” groups associated with glaucoma, which the name given to a group of eye conditions in which the optic nerve is damaged where it leaves the eye.

This nerve carries information about what is being seen from the eye to the brain and, as it becomes damaged, vision is lost. There are an estimated 600,000 people with glaucoma in the UK, but research indicates half of those are undiagnosed.

Stockton store manager Ged Johnson said: “Early detection and treatment for glaucoma is essential to save sight and an eye test is the best way to check for symptoms of the condition, especially as they can often go unnoticed.” For more details visit www.visionexpress.com