Specsavers Corporate Eyecare’s vision screening service has been testing the eyesight of MPs at the House of Commons.

Working alongside insurer RSA and road safety charity Brake, Specsavers Corporate Eyecare has been involved in the ‘Fit to Drive’ campaign since it was launched by RSA in 2011.

Laura Butler, key accounts manager for Specsavers Corporate Eyecare, said: “Fit to Drive has targeted support from prominent parliamentarians from the start but for MPs to put themselves forward and take part in vision screening was a great display of their support.”

Specsavers Corporate Eyecare offered vision screening by a qualified optometrist to all MPs with an interest in road safety and eye health and dozens took the opportunity to have the eyes checked.

Matthew Maxwell Scott, RSA’s Fit to Drive campaign manager, said: “Specsavers made sure we had a really successful event. They were able to bring this important issue to life for MPs and it was a great way to get our messages across about eye health and road safety.”

The portable eye screening machine used for events like these allows Specsavers Corporate Eyecare to check whether a person’s eyesight meets with the basic legal requirements for driving, which equates to the ability to read a number plate at a distance of 20.5 metres.

However, RSA’s Fit to Drive campaign calls for the current ‘number plate test’ to be scrapped and replaced with an eye examination by a qualified professional for all learner drivers.

Furthermore, it calls for eye tests to be mandatory every ten years, linked to driving licence renewal.