Local opticians support veterans

Camoflauge and war paint were in on Saturday when staff from an Exeter opticians raised awareness and funds for the Blind Veterans UK.

On Saturday 28 June staff from Specsavers Exeter dressed up in camouflage to raise money for the charity. In addition, they have raised funds throughout June for the cause.

Jonathan Baumber, store director at Specsavers Exeter, said ahead of the event: "We are very pleased to be supporting the Blind Veterans, supporting our ex-Service men and also the importance of eye examinations. We look forward to dressing up in our army gear and raising as much as possible during the month."

Specsavers Exeter is equipped with the latest ophthalmic technology including a state-of-the-art digital retinal camera. This takes a digital image of the back of the eye, known as the fundus, and can detect signs of various health conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, glaucoma and even life-threatening tumours. Specsavers offers the service at no extra charge to all customers over the age of 40 or when otherwise deemed appropriate by the optometrist.

Blind Veterans UK is the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.

The charity provides support and rehabilitation to vision-impaired ex-Service men and women, regardless of the cause of their sight loss. Blind Veterans UK launched its No One Alone campaign in October 2012. It aims to reach out to the 68,000 plus blind ex-Service personnel who would benefit from the charity’s services but either do not know about the charity or do not know that they are eligible for its lifelong support. Research suggests that the majority of these did National Service, are currently in their 70s and 80s and suffering from age related sight loss.

To donate to Blind Veterans UK or to book an eye examination, visit 247 High Street, Exeter, Devon EX4 3PZ, call the store on 01392 210604, or visit www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/exeter