Galway Bay fm newsroom – Calls are being made for the provision of a National Vision Strategy to help blind or visually impaired people across Galway to access health and social care services.
Over 12,000 people across the city and county are blind or visually impaired.
The National Vision Coalition says the next government elected in February needs to urgently develop a strategy to improve access to services.
It says a recent report shows that up to 80% of blindness is preventable – and investment in cost-effective interventions could save the state 76 million euro a year.
Spokesperson Avril Daly says it’s a matter of taking preventative rather than reactionary action.