The College of Optometrists

14 June 2006

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One in four football fans will struggle to watch the World Cup clearly on TV or live in the stadium this summer because of their poor eyesight. It’s often the referee’s eyesight that’s called into question by frustrated fans but new research by The College of Optometrists reveals that it’s the fans themselves who may need to have their vision checked.

The worrying situation is most acute in Northern Scotland where a staggering 37% of those surveyed admitted being unable to see the television clearly. In the North East, almost a third of adults surveyed said they also struggle to see people clearly at a distance of more than 50 metres, so even those with tickets to the game will have problems.

Despite the prevalence of these vision problems, people still seem reluctant to get an eye examination. NOP research* for the College of Optometrists showed that a quarter of adults have their eyes examined less than every five years and one in 10 say they’ve never bothered at all. Of these, over half said the reason was they’d never had a problem with their eyes, yet underlying eye problems are often not noticed by the individual and may only be detected by an examination carried out by an expert.

Kevin Lewis, President of the College of Optometrists, said: “This summer’s World Cup is sure to be one of the TV viewing highlights of the year, and it seems a terrible shame that so many people will fail to get the most out of it because their eyesight is not up to scratch.

“Thankfully there is a simple way for people to catch this summer’s action in crystal clarity without having to squint at their TV sets. They need to get their eyes examined as soon as possible. There’s a qualified optometrist on virtually every high street where your eyes can be examined and your vision easily corrected in time to watch David Beckham and his team win the World Cup.”