RNIB

Cost of eye health and sight loss

£28 billion

The total estimated cost of eye health and sight loss in the UK is estimated to be around £28 billion every year. This includes money spent on preventing and treating eye conditions. It also includes the indirect costs of sight loss, such as lower employment rates or the cost associated with the provision of informal care. Finally, it includes the total cost of the reduced wellbeing and health associated with living with sight loss.

Impact of sight loss

While it is possible to talk about the barriers and restrictions faced by blind and partially sighted people as a whole, there are significant variations in people’s circumstances and experiences. Some factors are particularly influential, such as age, amount of vision, the age at which someone experienced sight loss and whether or not someone has additional disabilities.

Some people are born with an eye condition. More commonly sight loss develops during older age. Although most people have some sight, some experience further loss of vision over time and others have no useful vision.

Children and young people

The majority of blind and partially sighted children are educated in inclusive (mainstream) education. But blind and partially sighted children are increasingly being deprived of specialist support], and learning materials and exams are not consistently made available in alternative formats.

Remaining sight can change over time

For many people, even after they are registered blind or partially sighted, their remaining sight is unstable. Often people experience changes in vision over many years, and this may mean that they need to learn and relearn how to adapt to living with sight loss.

71 per cent of blind and partially sighted people have experienced deterioration in their sight over the last 12 months.

Lower wellbeing

Feelings of wellbeing are lower amongst blind and partially sighted people when compared to the rest of the population. More than four in 10 people attending low vision clinics are suffering from symptoms of clinical depression.

31 per cent of blind and partially sighted people were rarely or never optimistic about the future.

Lack of emotional support

Being told you are losing your sight can be difficult to come to terms with, with common effects being depression, reduced wellbeing and a process similar to bereavement [58].

Only 17 per cent of people experiencing sight loss are offered emotional support in relation to their deteriorating vision [52].

Essential practical support is missing

Having to re-learn how to do everyday things is the reality of losing your sight. This can include everything from re-learning how to make a cup of tea to moving safely around your local area.

Less than one in three registered blind and partially sighted received any mobility training in the first year of experiencing sight loss, and only one in five received practical support around the home with things like preparing food or cleaning .

Relying on some form of support

Many blind and partially sighted people rely on some form of support or care, and often this is informal and unpaid. This support can range from tasks like preparing meals or cleaning to help with setting heating controls or help with picking out the right clothing.

Nearly half of blind and partially sighted people said that they always or frequently need support to read written information.

The proportion of blind and partially sighted people in employment has decreased

Only one in four registered blind or partially sighted people of working age is in employment.

Age, additional disabilities, severity of sight loss and educational attainment level are all factors that influence the employment status of blind and partially sighted people.

Financial struggles

Blind and partially sighted people face additional costs and expenditure as a result of their sight loss [59]. Four in 10 blind and partially sighted people of working age say that they have some or great difficulty making ends meet.

Travel and transport remains a major issue

Four out of every 10 blind and partially sighted people were not able to make all the journeys that they wanted or needed to make.

Two-thirds of people of working age and one-third of people of pension age had collided with an obstacle on the pavement in the last three months.

Limited choice about how to spend free time

Half of blind and partially sighted people said that they were always or frequently limited in the activities that they were able to take part in. One in four people reported that they had little or no choice about how they spent their free time.

Poor access to key information

Nine out of ten blind and partially sighted people said that information on medication or food packaging was quite difficult or impossible to read.

Barriers to getting the most out of technology

There is a significant generational divide in the use of technology, with younger blind and partially sighted people much more likely to be using the internet, a computer or a smartphone compared to older people.

Overall, less than one in three blind and partially sighted people feel able to make the most of new technology.

Public awareness and attitudes towards sight loss is poor

Nearly half of blind and partially sighted people of working age said they had been treated unfairly by others in the last 12 months due to their sight loss [52].

Sight loss is the biggest barrier people face

When people are asked to talk about the reasons why they experience difficulty or restrictions, whether in relation to travel, employment, technology, or leisure, by far the most common reason given is their sight loss. Many people, including those with a range of other challenges and impairments, consider sight loss as the major factor in stopping them from doing all the things they would like to do in life.

Further information

“Eye health and sight loss stats and facts” provides a summary of important evidence, but there are many more resources available that provide further information.

State of the Nation: Eye Health 2017

State of the Nation: Eye Health 2017 provides the latest evidence on eye health across the UK. It supports strategic thinking to transform eye health and take steps to stop people losing their sight unnecessarily.

My Voice

Research into the views and experiences of over 1,200 registered blind and partially sighted people in the UK: My Voice covers a range of different topics, such as employment, transport and access to information and services. It is a key source in helping us understand the circumstances of blind and partially sighted people.

Sight Loss Data Tool

Sight Loss Data Tool is the UK’s biggest collection of eye health datasets. The Excel based tool shows users all of the local figures relating to sight loss and eye health to use as evidence in campaigns, fundraising and service development.

Evidence-based reviews

RNIB’s Evidence-based reviews look in detail at the experiences of blind and partially sighted people in different age groups. They include a profile of the group, the policies that govern and impact upon their lives, and a commentary on what the evidence tells us. They publish reviews focusing on children and young people, people of working age and older people.

RNIB Knowledge and Research Hub

Information on the latest research news and reports published by RNIB, as well as guides to impact measurement, blogs and other resources.  All of these resources can be accessed on the RNIB website: rnib.org.uk/research.

Nearly two-thirds of people living with sight loss are women. People from black and minority ethnic communities are at greater risk of some of the leading causes of sight loss. Adults with learning disabilities are 10 times more likely to be blind or partially sighted than the general population.

How will the number of people with sight loss change in the future?

The number of people in the UK with sight loss is set to increase dramatically in the future. As we get older we are increasingly likely to experience sight loss, and the UK population is ageing. In addition, sight loss is strongly linked with certain medical conditions such as diabetes and lifestyle factors including obesity – the rates of which are both going up. This means that, without action, the numbers of people with sight problems in the UK are likely to increase dramatically over the next 25 years.

The number of people with sight loss is estimated to rise to 2.7 million by 2030. By 2050, the current figure will double to over four million. For more information on the number of people living with sight loss and costs of sight loss please see our economic impact of sight loss and blindness in the UK report.

Realities of sight loss

• Only 17 per cent of people experiencing sight loss are offered emotional support in response to their deteriorating vision.
• Only 27 per cent of blind and partially sighted people of working age are in employment – a fall from 33 per cent in employment in 2006.
• 39 per cent of blind and partially sighted people of working age say they have some or great difficulty in making ends meet.
• 35 per cent of blind and partially sighted people say that they sometimes, frequently or always experience negative attitudes from the public in relation to their sight loss.
• 31 per cent of people are rarely or never optimistic about the future.

(Source: My Voice 2015)

How much sight loss is avoidable?

At least half of all sight loss is avoidable. Almost two thirds of sight loss in older people is caused by refractive error and cataract. Both conditions can be diagnosed by a simple eye test and in most cases the person’s sight could be improved by prescribing correct glasses or cataract surgery.

How many people are registered as blind or partially sighted?

As of 2017, there are around 350,000 people registered as blind or partially sighted in the UK. This is approximately 290,000 in England; 17,000 in Wales; around 8000 in Northern Ireland and 34,000 in Scotland (Scottish figures are from 2010). Visit the Sight Loss Data Tool for regional level data.

How does the registered population relate to the number of people with sight loss?

The ‘more than two million people living with sight loss’ is an estimate based on how commonly different eye conditions occur. The figure takes into account factors such as age, gender and ethnicity, and builds up a picture of the numbers of people who are living with significant sight loss in the UK.

This picture not only includes people who are registered, but also those who are waiting for treatment, those whose sight could be improved, those who have not registered, and people whose sight loss is not at a level that allows them to register.