A new support group is helping affected by sight loss to regain their confidence and take back their independence.

The Dorchester Macular Society Support Group offers information and friendship to people affected by macular disease locally.

Group leader Geoff Lambkin, who was diagnosed with macular disease more than 40 years, set up the group with his wife Carol with help from the national Macular Society charity.

Mr Lambkin, 72, has been a member of the society almost since its inception in 1987. In the 1970s, he and Carol both taught at an armed forces school in Germany before moving to Hong Kong, where Mr Lambkin became deputy headteacher of an international school.

While still in Germany, Mr Lambkin saw a doctor who failed to identify his sight condition. He was only diagnosed after he had started his new job.

He said: "I’d thought that there might be something wrong with my sight since I was at university, but nothing was ever picked up.

"Soon after I arrived in Hong Kong, I found I was really struggling with the bright sunlight out there and assumed I needed to get some tinted lenses for my glasses. The optician I went to realised something was wrong and referred me to an ophthalmologist, who eventually diagnosed me.

“I was told that I should start looking for another job, but with the support of the school, I was able to continue doing the job for 20 years. The key is not to give in...sight loss shouldn't stop you from doing the things that you love.

“I really should thank the doctor in Germany who examined me originally and didn’t spot the problem."

Macular disease is the biggest cause of blindness in the UK and can have a devastating effect on people's lives, leaving them unable to drive, read or see faces. Nearly 1.5 million people are currently affected with many more at risk.

Mr Lambkin continued: "When the Macular Society asked me if I’d be willing to run a new group in Dorchester, I was only too pleased to get involved.

"There is lots of help, advice and support out there to anyone with macular disease, whether they’ve had it for some time or if they’re newly-diagnosed. Through the group, we want to let people know they aren’t alone."

The Dorchester Macular Society Support Group meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month, from 10.30am to 12pm, at Age UK Dorchester in Prince of Wales Road.

It is the latest group to be launched in Dorset, with groups already running in Weymouth, Sherborne and other locations across the county.

The Dorchester group’s next meeting will be held on Wednesday June 26, during Macular Week, which runs from June 24 to June 30.

Judy Pride, Macular Society regional manager, said: “The Dorchester Macular Society Support Group is here for anybody affected by sight loss and we want to encourage people to come along."