SCOTS fear losing their sight more than any other long-term health condition, research has shown.

But charity leaders say patients who face such a diagnosis are missing out on vital support.

Only 36% of eye departments in Scottish hospitals have a qualified vision support officer to help partially-sighted and blind patients adjust.

In those areas where support workers are in place, the RNIB say eight of the 11 posts come up for refunding in 2016, creating uncertainty they may not be maintained.

More than half of 2000 adults surveyed said that they believed losing their sight would have a bigger impact on their life than other disabling health conditions.

Nine in 10 said they feared losing their independence and eight in 10 feared for their jobs. Almost 85% believed there was not enough support for people with sight loss.

Every day, ten people in Scotland begin to lose their sight and the charity estimates that figure will double over the next 15 years.

The RNIB is camp-aigning for every hospital eye depart-ment to have access to a qualified vision support officer.

Ian White, 50, a taxi driver from Ayr, said: "My sight loss is due to ischemic retinopathy. It happened in May 2011. I was reading a book and I couldn't make the words out.

"When told your sight won't improve a million things go through your mind. I didn't know what would happen with my job, money, my mortgage.

"When I spoke with the vision support officer I felt things were starting to move in the right direction."

RNIB Scotland campaigns manager James Adams said: "It is crucial that people in this situation are able to get specialised support to help them."

caroline.wilson@eveningtimes.co.uk