Estimates of the number of older people with a visual impairment in the UK

Abstract

One of the key challenges to policy-makers and service providers charged with tackling social exclusion is knowing who and how many people their policies should be addressing. What is required are reliable estimates of the target population. This article considers two key studies that have made it possible to produce estimates of the size of the older visually impaired population in the UK. It concludes that there are between about 1.6m and 2.2m people aged 65 years and over in the UK with visual acuity ranging from mild to serious levels of visual impairment. About half of visually impaired older people fall into the category of mild vision impairment (6/12 — 6/18). The other half has a moderate to severe visual impairment (VA < 6/18). Women aged 65 years and over with moderate or severe visual impairment outnumber visually impaired men by nearly three to one. Of those aged 75 years and over with moderate to severe visual impairment, about half of them have cataracts or refractive error, many of whom could have treatment or intervention which would considerably improve their vision. There are also an estimated 300,000 people aged 75 years and over in the UK with registerable eye conditions.