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The Study

The study will determine the prevalence and causes of vision impairment, blindness and hearing loss in the UK population aged 50 years and older (by gender, age, socio-economic group and geographical area).

 

This will provide an up-to-date, and comprehensive picture of the UK’s eye health and hearing status.

 

The study will also measure the detection and treatment coverage rate of major eye diseases and associated conditions, such as diabetes, in order to understand the effectiveness of current services.

 

The 25,000 people surveyed will be asked questions around their participation in health services and their employment status to understand their level of interaction with eye health services and the effectiveness of them, as well as to understand the impact of eye health on employment levels.

HOW WILL IT WORK ?

We will gather data for a representative sample of people from all regions of the UK.

 

This will ensure that a true picture of the nation is gathered, which in turn will help government to target services appropriately, addressing inequalities in disease risk, access and provision of healthcare.

Each participant enrolled in the UKNEHS will undergo eye and hearing examinations and complete a standardised general questionnaire.

 

Interviews and examinations will be conducted primarily at a community site (e.g. a GP practice) close to the participant’s home and where that is not convenient, this can be delivered at the participant’s home.

WHO IS IT FOR ?

A sample size of 25,000 adults aged 50 years and above is recommended to permit estimation prevalence with precision and ensure a sample that is representative of the UK population. This includes prevalence of blindness, and all ocular diseases more frequent than 0.4% in this age group.

The sample will be organised by 500 UK postcode sectors, with 50 eligible adults from each cluster participating.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Participants will receive a number of eye tests and a hearing test and be asked questions around their overall health and social care needs, access to health services and effectiveness of eye health services.

 

The examination comprises:

  • Participant consent to participate in the survey and have their data collected

  • Questionnaire

  • Visual acuity check (distance and near)

  • Eye pressure measurement

  • Dilated retinal photographs

  • Hearing test

    • In those with impacted ear wax, removal of ear wax will be part of the treatment received. ​

Post-survey referrals

In each cluster area, proactive engagement will take place as part of the project set up to agree an appropriate referral route for those who have problems with their sight and/or hearing identified during the survey.

 

A key element of the UKNEHS is ‘research with service’; if participants are identified as having an unmet need, they will be referred via the appropriate local pathway to receive treatment. Participants who are referred onwards to other services will be followed throughout their journey so that their progress can be measured.

 

The process for this will be defined in partnership with health providers in more detailed planning phases of the project.

THE RESEARCH DATA

A national coordination centre (NCC) will be established to plan, monitor recruitment and examinations, manage the data and take responsibility for the analysis and reporting of the results. No personally identifiable data will be analysed or reported. 

Data will be captured electronically during the survey, using bespoke tablet-based software developed for the Australian NEHS and adapted for the UK. Data will be processed by a central reading centre at Queen’s University Belfast. Where possible, this should be linked to other health records to enable analysis of the follow-up pathway.

Why sensory loss?

PREVALENCE

Based on the only previous national study on hearing, conducted 50 years ago, it is estimated that with 2021’s age structure of the population, that 50% of people over 50 and 60% of those over 60 have reduced hearing in either ear, that’s just under 1:3 adults.


Again, based on old data but this time mostly from other countries (as the UK does not have nationally-representative vision data), it is estimated that around two million people in the UK are affected with partial sight. The registry of those with a certificate of vision impairment reports that 218,000 of whom live with blindness.

IMPACT

An ageing population with increasingly complex needs and conditions means that demand will continue to grow, resulting in additional subsequent pressures in other parts of the health and care system. It is more important than ever to understand the health needs of our population to target interventions effectively and provide quality care.

​Growing demand from an ageing population and increasing incidence of long term conditions means that our nation’s eye health is getting worse, which will exacerbate existing issues in the system.

LACK OF DATA

Despite the prevalence and large impact of sensory loss, we don't have the data we need to understand how to improve services and deliver them more efficiently and effectively.

 

We desperately need high quality, up-to-date data on hearing loss and eye health so that we can plan future services and improve outcomes for the UK population.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Sight loss has been estimated to cost the UK more than £28 billion per annum and hearing loss more than £30 billion.

Demand is being exacerbated by an ageing population with increasingly complex needs. Growth in conditions such as diabetes is resulting in additional subsequent pressures on other parts of the system.

 

With demand growing and resources under increasing pressure it is more important than ever to understand the health needs of our population so that we can target interventions effectively and provide quality care.

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