Public urged to have sight checked during Healthy Eyes Awareness Week

The public are being encouraged to protect their eyes and vision.

This is Healthy Eyes Awareness Week which reminds people to get regular eye examinations as part of their normal health routine.

To mark the campaign, information will be available during the week in optometrist and optician locations in cities, towns and villages across the country.

Optometrist Lynda McGivney Nolan says eye health goes hand-in-hand with ageing.

"It's estimated in 2010 that over 224,000 people in Ireland were suffering from visual impairment, and by 2020 this is expected to increase by 21% - primarily because there are more of us over the age of 50 and that's expensive," she said.

"The economic cost of blindness and visual impairment is already estimated at €2.1bn."