Visual impairment in adults

Over two million people in the UK are living with sight loss, which equates to almost one person in thirty. Key statistics from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) show:

• One in five people aged 75 and over are living with sight loss.
• One in two people aged 90 and over are living with sight loss.
• 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. 

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in adults. Other significant causes of sight loss are glaucoma, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. Sight loss affects people of all ages, but older people are more likely to experience sight loss. This number will increase due to the rise in the ageing population. Additionally, there is a growing incidence in key underlying causes of sight loss, such as obesity and diabetes. This means that, without action, the number of people with sight problems in the UK is likely to increase dramatically over the next 25 years.

Data from the RNIB tool indicate that there are an estimated 44,000 people living with some degree of sight loss in Lancashire-12. Of these 38,130 are living with partial sight and 5,920 are living with blindness (2022). By 2032 there are expected to be 53,200 people in Lancashire living with sight loss, an increase of 21% from 2022.

The PANSI website provides estimates of visual impairment down to lower tier local authority level for several different adult age bandings. The latest estimates show that there are predicted to be over 24,000 adults (aged 18+) in Lancashire-12 with a moderate or serious visual impairment.

Thematic JSNA for eye health in Lancashire and South Cumbria

In 2019 we completed a thematic JSNA for eye health in Lancashire and South Cumbria (PDF 1 MB). This was a multi-agency project led by Stuart Clayton, CEO, Galloway's Society for the Blind and focused on the adult population aged 18+. The JSNA looked at the priorities from the England Vision Strategy, which is a country-led approach to eye health, and how they relate to the Lancashire and South Cumbria area. The pan-Lancashire project group for the JSNA developed the following priorities for the Lancashire and South Cumbria area:

• Prevention and protection - at least half of sight loss is preventable, so early intervention is key
• Information and advice - improving the accessibility of information for people with sight loss and providing a coordinated approach to advice
• Services - providing streamlined and consistent services across Lancashire and South Cumbria
• Data - improving data recording practices and use intelligence to inform service provision
• Inequalities - delivering targeted campaigns in areas with at-risk groups to reduce inequalities
• Quality of life - by tackling the five priorities above, the quality of life for people with sight loss will be improved

Below is an summary of key figures for eye health and sight loss from Office for Health Improvement & Disparities (OHID):

Further analysis and data Visual impairments Lancashire-14, 2023 to 2040 (XLSX 25 KB) RNIB - Lancashire eye health and sight loss report (DOCX 148 KB) RNIB - Blackburn with Darwen eye health and sight loss report (DOCX 147 KB) RNIB - Blackpool eye health and sight loss report (DOCX 145 KB)

Page updated October 2024