Almost 1,000 people in Northern Ireland will start to lose their sight this year, the Royal National Institute for the Blind has warned.

The charity's comments follow a UK-wide survey which suggests that a lack of training and rehabilitation for people with sight loss early on in their condition was to blame.

The survey, which was published on Tuesday, found that services in the province were better than in many parts of the UK.

Nine in 10 people questioned said sight was the one sense they most feared losing.

Partially sighted

Given the aging population, it is estimated that the number of people with sight problems will go up by about 25% in the next 30 years.

The charity predicts one in 12 of the population will become blind or partially sighted by the age of 60.

It is also believed 24,000 people in the province could be blind or partially sighted - even though only a fraction of that number is actually registered.

One of the biggest problems for health planners is the lack of reliable data on those with vision problems.

That is why following the latest survey the RNIB is pressing for a Northern Ireland sight survey to be carried out.