This article provides an overview of everything that has changed in the Sight Loss Data Tool.
New interface
We’ve created a new interface to make getting to the data you need even easier.
The new website has been optimised to work on a range of devices. Whether you’re at your desk or on the go on your mobile, you can access the latest eye health and sight loss data for your local authority, health board, region or nation.
The website meets the latest accessibility standards, making data and insight more inclusive.
Data refresh
We’ve updated all the data to the latest and best evidence available. The latest population projections have been used to produce estimates for 2026, and projections for 2036. We’ve also used the most recent and best health and social care data.
New metrics
There are new metrics added to the Sight Loss Data Tool, based on feedback in our user survey. These include:
- estimates on the number of people starting to live with sight loss in 2026
- data on economic impact, including both direct NHS and wider societal costs
- more detailed population estimates for children and young people with a vision impairment aged 0 to 25 years
- sight loss projections by age band
- outpatient appointments split into new and repeat to provide more detail.
Removed metrics
We’ve also removed a number of metrics for the following reasons:
- Duplication – there were a number of metrics that were giving the same insights, and these have been consolidated.
- Time series – in this update we have focused on providing a snapshot of the latest data, and therefore have removed some historical data. This is something we may add back in the future.
- Underlying data quality issues – we removed any metrics that were out of date or potentially misleading.
- Geography – metrics have been removed if they didn’t fit within the main administrative or health boundaries used throughout the Sight Loss Data Tool.