Diabetics are being invited to High Street opticians for vital eye tests to prevent them from going blind.

Instead of trekking to the Oxford Eye Hospital for annual check-ups for retinopathy, patients will now be able to have their appointment at one of 15 shops across the county, from Banbury to Wallingford.

Retinopathy is a complication of diabetes, where blood vessels at the back of the eyeball become blocked, leaky or grow haphazardly. This damages the way light passes through the eye and can harm vision if left untreated. Everyone with diabetes should be checked for the condition at least once a year using a special camera.

Specsavers, in Templars Square, Cowley, is one of the opticians selected by Oxfordshire NHS Primary Care Trust to take part in the scheme in partnership with the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the eye hospital at the John Radcliffe complex in Headington.

Patients who choose to visit an optician for the service will have digital pictures taken of their eyes, which are sent electronically to opthalmology specialists at the JR for diagnosis.

Specsavers store director Jason Komodikis said: "People with diabetes are 20 times more at risk of going blind than someone without the condition, and up to 40 per cent of the 2.2m diabetics in the UK have varying degrees of retinopathy.

"Treatment can help prevent blindness in 90 per cent of those at risk if detected early enough. Early detection and early treatment of diabetic retinopathy has been shown to help prevent visual impairment, and is the best protection against the problem."

As well as being offered a test at an opticians near them, patients will also have the option of visiting a mobile screening unit at their GP practice.

Dr Peter Scanlon, consultant ophthalmologist at the Oxford Eye Hospital and clinical lead for the Oxfordshire Diabetic Eye Screening Service (Odess), welcomed the initiative.

He added: "The aim of the programme is to reduce the incidence of blindness due to diabetic retinopathy and we believe we can make a significant impact in Oxfordshire, having secured this partnership.

"This is a very significant achievement given that the screening programme using digital photography was only introduced in 2006."

A PCT spokesman said: "Diabetic patients registered with GPs in Oxfordshire will be called to the free NHS retinopathy screening programme through Odess."