Millions upon millions of adults ask others to choose their meals for them.

Millions of adults have asked a fellow dinner guest to choose their meal for them – because they can’t read the menu for themselves.

A survey of 2000 adults found that a fifth (18%) have been in embarrassing situations due to their eyesight.

One in 10 people (11%) have waved to a stranger believing it was someone they knew. While 11 percent have offended someone that they DO know by walking past them obliviously, 11% have done the same.

A red-faced 13% were mocked for holding a table at a faraway location to help them find the right dishes.

While 10 per cent have found themselves feeling self-conscious about having to hold a book at arm’s length to read the text.

A spokesperson from Specsavers, which has created an elongated ‘reading arm’ prototype which could help people that are long-sighted, said: “Visual impairment is extremely common so it is a real shame that so many people get embarrassed about it.”

“Inventing the reading arm was excellent fun, and while we’re sure many readers would find such a gadget useful, it shouldn’t be a substitute for taking eye health seriously and booking in with your optician for a check-up.

“Most people over the age of 40 start developing presbyopia or long-sightedness, but it can be easily corrected with the right pair of specs.”

35% also admitted to feeling self-conscious about their eyesight at times.

43 percent of respondents have not visited an eye doctor or had their eyes checked in the last two year.

28 percent of those surveyed have their text set to a larger font so they can read the text more clearly.

44% of those who tried have been mocked.

24 percent of Brits struggle to read the small print in contracts or other documents. Twenty percent have difficulty reading the ingredients and instructions on the backs of toiletries products.

34% believe their eyesight is worse than it was 10 years ago. 34% have put off visiting the opticians to get checked.

Eyesight can be affected by working habits

Only one fifth (20%) considers themselves to have no vision impairment, while 63% cite minor to moderate sight problems.

Nearly six in ten (59%) people have worn glasses at one point in their life. 41 percent have tried contact lenses.

51 percent of respondents had never heard of the term “presbyopia” before they took part in the survey. This is a sight problem associated with ageing that causes objects near them to gradually lose focus.

OnePoll.com’s study found that 60% of those with poor vision said they took their eyesight as a given before it got worse.

Eye health may be affected by work habits. 39% of those surveyed said they had experienced eye strain during the day.

One fifth (21%) spends all day at their computer and 44% spend most of their day working on their computer.

A Briton will spend on average six hours per day looking at screens, at work or at home, depending on whether they are socialising or just for fun.

The Specsavers spokesperson added: “We hope that our reading arm raises a few smiles, but also raises awareness about vision issues and encourages Brits to seek out their optician so their situation can be improved.”

Top 20 embarrassing things visually impaired Brits did

1. I stared at a label for a while, but was unable to understand the words.
2. Not recognised someone who’s waving at you
3. Hold a menu at a distance that was comically long, so you can read it while you squint
4. People complained about the TV’s blurry picture
5. Waved at someone who you don’t know
6. A book was held at a ridiculously long distance to be read
7. You can offend someone you DO NOT know by walking past them on the street
8. Started a conversation with a total stranger thinking they were my friend/partner/family member
9. Ordered the wrong thing from a fast-food restaurant because you couldn’t see the boards with the menu display properly
10. People complained about the lighting not being bright enough.
11. A bad typo
12. Put clothes on inside out
13. A stranger asked me for help in a shop. I assumed they worked there.
14. A mistake on a menu
15. Get startled by an inanimate object
16. Accidentally interacted with someone’s social post you don’t know
17. Ask a stranger if he can read a sign.
18. It is possible to make a terrible dinner by misreading the ingredients.
19. Patted a stranger’s bum as if it were your partner
20. Wear odd socks