RESEARCH has found Poole has one of the highest levels of risk for sight loss in the United Kingdom.

Charity Eye Health UK, which runs National Eye Health Week, has released details to highlight the area of the UK where poor lifestyle habits and inadequate health screening are putting residents at serious risk of sight loss.

Poole was listed as 'very high' risk alongside 73 other towns and cities, while Bournemouth was rated as 'high risk'.

Reports suggest there are a million people in the UK currently living with 'avoidable' sight loss leaving them unable to do things such as drive and researchers predict this figure could rise by a third by 2030, if action isn't taken now.

David Cartwright, chairman of Eye Health UK, said some towns and cities were seeing a "worrying number" of people failing to take up free NHS sight tests.

"Prevention and early diagnosis of common eye conditions are key to reducing the number of people suffering sight loss unnecessarily," he said.