AN MP has joined a campaign urging people to get their eyes tested regularly.

John Austin, MP for Erith and Thamesmead, is backing a national campaign by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) aimed at raising awareness of glaucoma.

The condition, which can be spotted early through regular eye tests and successfully treated, is the most common cause of preventable blindness in the UK.

People from African backgrounds or with a family history of the condition are more at risk.

Up to 40 per cent of a person's sight can be lost through glaucoma before people realise anything is wrong.

The RNIB recommends people have their eyes tested every two years.