Sight Loss Data Tool sources

On this page

1. General guidance
2. Population
3. Sight loss prevalence
4. Sight loss incidence
5. Certification and registration
6. Children and young people
7. Economic impact
8. Eye conditions
9. Other health conditions
10. Area profile
11. Health and social care

1. General guidance

Local knowledge

The aim of the Sight Loss Data Tool is to bring together relevant data at a local level to help supplement knowledge about the different factors that can influence provision on the ground. All of the data in the tool is most effective when supported by local knowledge.

Data types

The data used throughout the Sight Loss Data Tool is either modelled estimates (e.g. prevalence of sight loss) or externally published data (e.g. number of registrations as blind or partially sighted).

Modelled estimates are limited because they take national level prevalence data and apply it to local populations. This can provide a reasonable estimate of the scale of need, especially for sight loss and most eye conditions where risk increases with age. However, these estimates do not consider all the local variation or the other factors that might influence greater risk for the population in a specific locality.

Using externally published data means we are reliant on the quality of that source data. The Sight Loss Data Tool can only be as accurate and effective as those other sources.

Data suppression

Any counts under 5 have been suppressed in line with data protection guidelines. The suppression of small values applies to both data modelled by RNIB and external data sources.

Geographic areas

The Sight Loss Data Tool has data the following geographic areas:

• England – Regions, local authorities (unitary authorities, counties and districts), metropolitan counties and Integrated Care Boards
• Scotland – Local authorities and Health Boards
• Wales – Local authorities and Health Boards
• NI – Local Government Districts and Health and Social Care Boards

Benchmarking

• Some of the data in the the Sight Loss Data Tool is benchmarked against the relevant national average - for example, benchmarking for areas in Scotland is compared against the Scotland national average.
• Benchmarking helps compare local figures with the national average in a fair and meaningful way. To do this, the original numbers are converted into rates per population, so that areas with different population sizes can be compared directly. 95 per cent confidence intervals are then applied to show the range within which the “true” figure is likely to fall.
• If the confidence interval for a local area does not overlap with the national confidence interval, it suggests the difference is statistically significant.
• This approach is widely used in public health and is based on recognised statistical methods such as Wald-type confidence interval calculations. Using this method means we can be more confident when identifying where local outcomes are genuinely better or worse than the national picture.

2. Population

• All the population data has been taken from the latest sub-national projections published by government statistical agencies.
• In England and Scotland these are 2022-based, and in Wales and Northern Ireland these are 2018-based (as of October 2025).
• Higher-level geography (e.g. regions and nations) have been rolled up from these sub-national estimates to ensure consistency.

References:

• Office for National Statistics (2025) Subnational population projections, 2022-based.
• National Records of Scotland (2025) Subnational population projections 2022-based.
• Welsh Government (2020) 2018-based population projections by local authority and year.
• Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (2020), 2018-based Population Projections for Areas within NI.

3. Sight loss prevalence

• The prevalence of sight loss highlights the proportion of the general population estimated to be living with sight loss that has a significant impact on daily life, at a specific point in time.
• Severe sight loss is defined as best-corrected visual acuity of worse than 6/60 in the better-seeing eye.
• Moderate sight loss is defined as best-corrected visual acuity of worse than 6/18 but better than or equal to 6/60 in the better-seeing eye.
• Mild sight loss is defined as best-corrected visual acuity of worse than 6/12 but better than or equal to 6/18 in the better-seeing eye.
• The visual acuity thresholds to be considered “living with sight loss” differ from those used in the Certification of Vision Impairment and registration process – they are broader and represent a wider cohort of people with sight loss.

Reference:

• Deloitte Access Economics (2017). The economic impact of sight loss and blindness in the UK adult population.

4. Sight loss incidence

• Incidence is the estimated number of people who will start to live with sight loss in the last 12 months.
• Incidence rates were calculated based on components of change, including prevalence, demographic changes and expected mortality.
• These estimates only include people who have experienced sight loss as a result of permanent sight loss from eye conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. They do not include potentially treatable forms of sight loss such as cataract or uncorrected refractive error.

Reference:

• Deloitte Access Economics (2017) Incidence and risk of sight loss and blindness in the UK.

5. Certification and registration

Certification of Vision Impairment

• A Certification of Vision Impairment (CVI) formally certifies a person as either sight impaired (partially sighted) or severely sight impaired (blind).
• The CVI can typically only be completed by a consultant ophthalmologist. Once complete, copies are shared with the patient, their GP, Moorfields eye hospital, and the local social services team – which provides a formal route into social care services for the patient.
• Data available for areas in England and Wales only. Equivalent data is not routinely published in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

References:

• Department of Health and Social Care (2025) Public Health Outcomes Framework.
• Welsh Government (2025) Number of people newly certified severely sight impaired and sight impaired.

Registration

• The register of blind and partially sighted people can be a useful indicator for people living with serious and permanent sight loss. However, there are limitations (for example eligibility, take up, data quality) to the registers which means they are not considered to be a definitive measure of the number of blind and partially sighted people in an area.
• Data is available from the latest annual publication in Wales and triennial publication in England. Equivalent data in not routinely published in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

References:

• NHS Digital (2024) Registered Blind and Partially Sighted People.
• Welsh Government (2023) Local authority registers of disabled people.

6. Children and young people

• Around 0.2 per cent of children and young people (up to age 25) in the UK have vision impairment. This excludes children with milder vision problems that may still affect learning or development, especially when combined with other disabilities or special educational needs.
• An estimated 0.05% of children are severely sight impaired or blind, which is included within the overall 0.2% estimate.
• Higher risk groups include very premature or very low birth weight babies, children from economically deprived backgrounds, some South Asian ethnic groups, and children with learning disabilities.
• Around 50% of children with vision impairment have additional special educational needs or disabilities.

References:

• Morris and Smith (2008), Educational provision for blind and partially sighted children and young people in Britain: 2007. National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER). RNIB.
• Cumberland, Pathai and Rahi (2010) Prevalence of eye disease in early childhood and associated factors: findings from the millennium cohort study. Ophthalmology 2010, 117: 2184-2190.

7. Economic impact

Direct costs

• National costs for delivering eye health services are published by the NHS in each of the UK nations.
• Costs for 2023/24 were published in The Value of Vision report, with future projections based on the estimated increased prevalence of sight loss.
• These national costs have been apportioned to each area based on the number of people living with sight loss in that location. As an example, if 1 per cent of people with sight loss in England were living in a specific area then we have apportioned 1 per cent of the total England cost to this area.

References:

• PA Consulting and RNIB (2025) The Value of Vision.

Wider economic impact

• In addition to NHS costs, there are substantial wider societal costs associated with sight loss.
• These include spend by other government departments on social services and benefit payments. They also include indirect costs such as lower employment or informal care. And finally, an aggregate of the overall quality of life that can be expressed as Disability Adjusted Life Years.
• These wider societal costs have been summarised and estimated at a national level in the “Time to Focus” report by the London School of Economics.
• These costs have been apportioned to each area based on the proportion of people living with sight loss in a location.

References:

• London School of Economics and Fight for Sight (2021) Time to Focus.

8. Eye conditions

Cataract

• A cataract is when the clear lens inside your eye becomes cloudy, making it harder to see. Most cataracts happen as people get older, and they can develop in one or both eyes.
• Many older people have some form of cataract. The decision to offer cataract surgery is typically dependent on the degree to which the cataract is impacting on a patient’s quality of life.
• The two estimates provided in SLDT cover both early-stage cataracts that may be affecting vision, and later-stage cataract that require a surgical intervention.

References:

• Reidy, A., Minassian, D.C., Vafidis, G., et al. (1998) Prevalence of serious eye disease and visual impairment in a north London population: population based, cross sectional study. BMJ 316(7145), 1643-1646.
• NEHEM (2013) National Eye Health Epidemiological Model. Data and models by Public Health Action Support Team, published by Local Optical Committee Support Unit.

Glaucoma

• Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions in which the optic nerve can be damaged most commonly due to increased eye pressure. Damage to sight can usually be minimised by early diagnosis in conjunction with careful regular observation and treatment.
• Many glaucoma patients will attend regular appointments and take eye drops to prevent deterioration of vision. Some forms of glaucoma can be treated with laser procedures or surgery.
• Ocular hypertension is a major risk factor for developing glaucoma.

References:

• NEHEM (2013) National Eye Health Epidemiological Model. Data and models by Public Health Action Support Team, published by Local Optical Committee Support Unit.

Age-related macular degeneration

• Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of severe sight impairment and blindness in the UK, and it is the most common cause of sight loss recorded on Certification of Vision Impairment forms.
• Many more people receive a diagnosis of AMD and are living either with the early or late stages of the disease without having yet experienced significant sight loss.
• Estimates for the prevalence of late-stage AMD (any type), and specifically geographic atrophy (late-stage dry AMD) and neovascular (late-stage wet AMD), have been taken from a meta-analysis of available evidence.
• Drusen are small deposits that form under the retina and are commonly seen in older adults. The presence of medium to large drusen is an early indicator of AMD and increases the risk of progression to late-stage disease. Many people with drusen have no symptoms.

References:

• Owen, Jarrar, and Wormald (2012) The estimated prevalence and incidence of late stage age related macular degeneration in the UK. British Journal of Ophthalmology 96(5), 752-756.
• NEHEM (2013) National Eye Health Epidemiological Model. Data and models by Public Health Action Support Team, published by Local Optical Committee Support Unit.

Diabetic retinopathy

• Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes that results from damage to the blood vessels in the retina and, if left untreated, can lead to vision impairment or permanent sight loss.
• It is one of the most common causes of sight loss in the UK amongst the working age population.
• A study carried out by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, completed in 2015, provides widely used and robust estimates for the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in the UK population.

References:

• Mathur et al (2015), Diabetic eye disease: A UK Incidence and Prevalence Study, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. RNIB.

9. Other health conditions

Dual sensory loss

• Dual sensory loss is a combination of sight and hearing loss. People living with dual sensory loss are often also described as deafblind, multi-sensory impaired or dual-sensory impaired.
• These estimates include people with severe and moderate levels of hearing loss and sight loss.

References:

• Robertson and Emerson (2010), Estimating the Number of People with Co‐Occurring Vision and Hearing Impairments in the UK. Centre for Disability Research.

Hearing impairment

• The prevalence of hearing impairment is based on a large-scale study that utilised hearing tests.
• Using pure tone audiometry (PTA) hearing tests, a person is presented with tones at different frequencies (kHz) and sound levels (dB HL) to determine the quietest sounds they can hear (their hearing threshold).
• A threshold of 25 dB HL indicates some hearing loss, while 65 dB HL indicates severe hearing loss. Hearing loss at these levels can affect communication, daily functioning, and quality of life.
• The data are based on the PTA threshold in the better ear, averaged over 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz, using the same definition as used in the Hearing Loss Data Tool. These frequencies are important as they relate to understanding speech.

References:

• Davis (1995). Hearing in Adults: The Prevalence and Distribution of Hearing Impairment and Reported Hearing Disability in the MRC Institute of Hearing Research's National Study of Hearing.

Dementia

• People with dementia are at increased risk of sight loss. This may be due to age-related eye conditions being more common in older adults with dementia, alongside reduced ability to communicate visual problems, difficulties attending eye examinations, and challenges using glasses or low vision aids effectively.
• Age and gender specific prevalence rates for dementia were taken from the Alzheimer Europe publication. These prevalence rates were than applied to UK population estimates.
• For dementia and sight loss estimates, prevalence estimates were taken from the PrOVIDe study.

References:

• Alzheimer Europe (2019) Dementia in Europe Yearbook 2019: Estimating the prevalence of dementia in Europe.
• Bowen et al (2016) The Prevalence of Visual Impairment in People with Dementia (the PrOVIDe study): a cross-sectional study of people aged 60–89 years with dementia and qualitative exploration of individual, carer and professional perspectives. NIHR Journals Library; 2016 Jul. PMID: 27489923.

Falls

• People with sight loss have increased risk of falls. Reduced visual contrast sensitivity, depth perception and peripheral vision can make it harder to detect hazards, judge steps and navigate unfamiliar environments. Poor lighting, uneven surfaces, and reduced confidence may also be a factor.
• Prevalence rates for people who report falls or falls that required hospital admission were obtained from POPPI.
• Methodology from Boyce et al. (2013) was then applied to estimate the number of blind and partially sighted people who suffered a fall and the number of falls that were directly attributable to sight loss.
• Number of falls that required hospital admission is based on a study of A&E admissions (Scuffham, P. et al, 2003).

References:

• POPPI (2013), Projecting Older People Population Information System. Institute of Public Care for the Department of Health.
• Boyce T, Stone MK, Johnson S and Simkiss P (2013), Projecting numbers of falls related to visual impairment. British Journal of Healthcare Management Vol 19 No 6.
• Scuffham, P. et al, (2003), Incidence and costs of unintentional falls in older people in the United Kingdom, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Vol. 57, No.9, Sept. 2003, pp.740-744.

Stroke

• People who have had a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) are at increased risk of sight loss. Strokes can directly damage parts of the brain responsible for vision, leading to visual field loss, double vision, or perceptual difficulties. In addition, stroke survivors may have reduced ability to manage existing eye conditions, increasing the risk of avoidable sight loss.
• The number of patients with a stroke or TIA are recorded on GP practice registers, and are part of the Quality and Outcomes Framework. These have been accessed via the Stroke Association’s summary of prevalence data.
• National stroke prevalence estimates have been applied to local areas – more detailed estimates can be found in the relevant Quality and Outcomes Framework publications.

References:

• Stroke Association (2025) Stroke statistics: sources and definitions.

Learning disability

• Adults with a learning disability are at increased risk of sight loss. They may experience higher rates of eye conditions such as refractive errors, cataracts, or retinal disease, and may face barriers to accessing eye care and communicating visual problems.
• Research commissioned by the Department of Health (Emerson and Hatton, 2004) produced prevalence estimates for the number of adults with a learning disability in the UK population.
• Estimated prevalence rates of visual impairment and blindness in the population of adults with a learning disability were then applied to the population of adults with a learning disability (Emerson and Robertson, 2011). The report defines visual impairment as visual acuity as worse than 6/18.

References:

• Emerson and Hatton (2004), Estimating the Current Need/Demand for Supports for People with Learning Disabilities in England. Lancaster: Institute for Health Research, Lancaster University, 2004.
• Emerson and Robertson (2011), The Estimated Prevalence of Visual Impairment among People with Learning Disabilities in the UK. RNIB.

Diabetes

• People with diabetes are at increased risk of sight loss, primarily due to diabetic retinopathy, a complication that damages the retinal blood vessels. Poorly controlled blood glucose, long duration of diabetes, and coexisting conditions such as hypertension increase the risk.
• The diabetes prevalence model provides estimates of total (diagnosed and undiagnosed) diabetes prevalence by age band.

Reference:

• Public Health England (2016) Diabetes Prevalence Model.

10. Area profile

Age

• Age is a significant risk factor for sight loss and sight threatening eye conditions.
• The risk of sight loss increases sharply with older age, with a higher prevalence among people aged 65 and over, and even more so among those aged over 80 years.
• Local areas with a higher proportion of older people may face greater demand for eye care services, higher rates of sight loss, and associated social and health care needs.

References:

• Office for National Statistics (2025) Subnational population projections, 2022-based.
• National Records of Scotland (2025) Subnational population projections 2022-based.
• Welsh Government (2020) 2018-based population projections by local authority and year.
• Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (2020), 2018-based Population Projections for Areas within NI.

Ethnicity

• People from ethnic minority groups can be at a greater risk of some of the leading causes of sight loss, including glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.
• Access to healthcare and eye care services can also vary between ethnic groups, affecting timely diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up.
• Local areas with higher proportions of particular ethnic groups may therefore experience specific patterns of eye health needs, which can inform targeted screening, prevention, and treatment services.
• The proportion of different ethnic groups in each local area have been taken from the latest Census and applied to the latest sub-national population estimates. This approach ensures consistency between the two sources of population data.

References:

• Office for National Statistics (2025) Subnational population projections, 2022-based.
• National Records of Scotland (2025) Subnational population projections 2022-based.
• Welsh Government (2020) 2018-based population projections by local authority and year.
• Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (2020), 2018-based Population Projections for Areas within NI.
• Office for National Statistics (2021) Census 2021: England and Wales.
• National Records of Scotland (2022) Scotland’s Census 2022.
• Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (2021) Census 2021.

Deprivation

• People living in areas of higher socio-economic deprivation are at increased risk of sight loss and sight threatening eye conditions.
• Higher rates of underlying health conditions, reduced access to eye care, including lower uptake of eye tests, later presentation, difficulties attending appointments, and financial or practical barriers to treatment, can potentially increase the likelihood of avoidable sight loss.
• SLDT contains data on the extent of deprivation in each area. Extent of deprivation describes how concentrated deprivation is within a local area. It is based on the proportion of residents who live in the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country.

References:

• Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (2025) English indices of deprivation 2025.
• Welsh Government (2025) Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation.
• National Records of Scotland (2020) Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation.
• Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (2020) Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure.

General health

• Self-reported general health provides an important indication of the overall health profile of a local population.
• Areas where more people report poorer health may experience higher levels of long-term conditions, health inequalities and greater demand on health and care services.
• General health can help build a broader picture of local need and potential risk factors associated with sight loss.

References:

• Office for National Statistics (2021) Census 2021: England and Wales.
• National Records of Scotland (2022) Scotland’s Census 2022.
• Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (2021) Census 2021.

Disability prevalence

• Disability prevalence provides an indicator of the level of long-term health needs in a local population.
• Areas with higher rates of disability are likely to have greater demand for health, social care and support services.
• Understanding disability prevalence helps build a broader picture of overall need in a local area.

References:

• Office for National Statistics (2021) Census 2021: England and Wales.
• National Records of Scotland (2022) Scotland’s Census 2022.
• Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (2021) Census 2021.

11. Health and social care

NHS sight tests

• The NHS provides sight tests to help detect vision problems and eye health issues early, which is important for preventing sight loss and managing eye conditions.
• In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, free NHS sight tests and optical vouchers are available to people who meet specific eligibility criteria, such as being within certain age groups, having certain medical conditions (e.g., diabetes or glaucoma), or receiving qualifying benefits.
• In Scotland, all residents are entitled to a free NHS eye examination through community optometry services, regardless of age or income, and tests can include additional checks for eye and general health.
• Sight tests data by local areas is not published in England.

References:

• NHS Business Services Authority (2024) General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) activity data.
• Welsh Government (2025) Eye care statistics.
• Public Health Scotland (2025) Ophthalmic workload statistics
• Department of Health (2024) General Ophthalmic Statistics for Northern Ireland.

Outpatients

• Hospital ophthalmology outpatient services are essential for diagnosing, monitoring, and treating eye conditions that can lead to sight loss.
• Outpatient activity data, including appointments, follow-ups, provide insight into local demand for eye care services.
• In England, Wales and Scotland, the Sight Loss Data Tool uses activity data based on where the patient lives, rather than where the provided is located. This helps reduce bias from large providers inflating the totals for specific areas.
• Person-level data was not available in Norther Ireland.

References:

• NHS England (2025) Vision Atlas: 2025.
• Welsh Government (2025) Number of outpatient appointments.
• Public Health Scotland (2025) Annual Outpatient Activity.
• Northern Ireland Executive (2025) Hospital statistics: outpatient activity statistics.

Inpatient and day cases

• Inpatient and day‑case services provide hospital-based care for eye conditions that require treatment, such as cataract surgery, glaucoma procedures, and retinal procedures.
• Wales and Scotland both publish person-based inpatient and day case data.
• Northern Ireland only publish provider-based data.
• In England, only cataract admissions are available at a person-level – so the data excludes patients admitted for treatment for other eye conditions.

References:

• NHS England (2025) Vision Atlas: 2025.
• NHS Wales (2025) Hospital Admissions Annual Tables.
• Public Health Scotland (2025) Inpatient and Day Case Activity.
• Northern Ireland Executive (2025) Hospital statistics: inpatient and day case activity.

Waiting lists

• Waiting lists measure the number of patients waiting for hospital treatment, including inpatient, day-case, and outpatient eye care services. They provide a key indicator of capacity pressures, access to care, and potential delays in treatment.
• Monitoring waiting list data helps identify areas where demand exceeds capacity, which may increase the risk of delayed diagnosis or treatment for conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, or retinal disease.
• Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting list data captures patients on a new treatment pathway only, and does not include routine follow-up appointments, which are still vital for preventing avoidable sight loss.
• In Wales, more detailed ophthalmology waiting list data are also available, including follow-up care prioritised by clinical urgency, providing a fuller picture of eye care demand.

References:

• NHS England (2025) Referral to Treatment (RTT) Waiting Times.
• Welsh Government (2025) Ophthalmology Waiting Times: Referral to Treatment.
• Welsh Government (2025) Patients waiting for an ophthalmology outpatient appointment.
• Public Health Scotland (2025) NHS waiting times.
• Department of Health (2025) Northern Ireland waiting time statistics.

Care homes

• Older adults living in care homes are at higher risk of sight loss compared with the general population. This is due to age, comorbidities, and reduced access to regular eye care.
• Many residents may have undiagnosed or uncorrected eye conditions, including cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, or refractive errors, which can impact daily living, independence, and quality of life.
• Evidence suggests that improving eye care in care home settings can have wide-ranging benefits, including better mobility, reduced risk of injury, and enhanced engagement in social and daily activities.
• SLDT contains information on the number of people living in care homes in England and Scotland, where routine data is published on the number of residents in care settings.

References:

• Department of Health and Social Care (2025) Adult social care in England.
• Public Health Scotland (2025) Care home statistics for Scotland.
• Wards and Banks (2017) Older people’s experiences of sight loss in care homes.