Why sensory loss?

Sensory loss has a huge impact on people’s overall health and well-being.

Prevalence

It is estimated that around two million people in the UK are affected with partial sight, 218,000 of whom live with blindness. These numbers are set to increase; by 2024 it is projected that there will be 2.4 million people living with sight loss, and by 2034 this number will have increased to over 3 million.

Around 250 people start to lose their sight in the UK every day.

Impact

Sensory loss has a huge impact on people’s overall health and well-being.

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 existing 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.