The Community Low Vision Service will provide care to these vulnerable patients to help them maintain their independence – including low vision aids such as magnifiers and lights, regular specialist assessments and signposting of additional help including mental health support and social services. The service will build on the success of community eyecare services already in place, the Community Glaucoma Service (CGS) and Anterior Eye Service.

The CGS supports patients with lower risk glaucoma and ocular hypertension to be discharged from hospital and receive direct care from an accredited optometrist in the community. The Anterior Eye Service allows community optometrists to treat ten complex eye conditions which normally require a hospital visit.  When fully operational it is estimated these services combined will support 40,000 patients to be fully treated in the community.

The roll-out of the national CLVS will be supported by record investment of £144m across all community eyecare in this year's Draft Budget.

Health secretary, Neil Gray, said: ‘The introduction of our new low vision service is a significant step forward in our efforts to have more people treated in the community and close to home instead of a hospital setting. This new service will complement the programmes we already have in place – our Anterior Eye Service and Community Glaucoma Service – which together we anticipate will allow an estimated 40,000 patients to be treated closer to home.

‘We know this delivers better outcomes and we want community optometrists to be the first port of call for all eye-related conditions - the national roll-out out of these services, backed by £144m for the sector, will help free up substantial capacity in our hospitals.

‘It has been nearly 20 years since free universal NHS-funded eye examinations were introduced in Scotland and we remain the only country in the UK to provide this vital service. We will maintain this crucial policy and I would remind people of the importance of having regular examinations which can help with early detection of a range of sight and non-sight threatening conditions.'