Fight for Sight supports first UK survey on vision and hearing loss

Currently, the UK does not have an accurate set of data on vision and hearing loss, resulting in a lack of evidence to inform health policies and programmes. Nations such as Trinidad and Tobago, Australia, USA, Nepal and Bangladesh all have national sensory loss studies. 

The UK National Eye Health and Hearing Study (UKNEHS) is a collaboration between sensory loss charities (including Fight for Sight), Anglia Ruskin University, leading eye and hearing care professionals and the public sector.

What will the study involve?

This NHS research study has received charitable and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) support funding for phase two of the study in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough that will see UKNEHS medical professionals visit households in randomly selected postcodes from late October this year until February 2025, where they will invite those aged 50 years and older for a free local specialist eye and hearing assessment.

Phase one of the study has seen UKNEHS teams visit care homes in the area to survey the sensory health of residents.

Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Dr Nik Johnson said: “Having already seen what’s happened at local nursing homes in terms of the screening, it’s fantastic news that out and about in the near future there will be teams visiting different areas of the county, and local people in the community will have the opportunity to get involved in this study.”

What impact could this study have?

It’s hoped that this initial study will lead to further funding for a UK-wide study that will, for the first time, give an accurate picture of the nation’s sensory health. The study aims to record accurate data on vision and hearing health to give confidence to the NHS and policymakers when making vital decisions that affect people’s health.

What’s more, given it’s estimated that 1 out of every 5 people aged 50 plus have impaired eyesight or an eye disease that goes undetected, those invited are encouraged to take part in this important project, even if they don’t think they have symptoms, because it could enable them to detect sensory conditions early on.

Discussing the study, Rupert Bourne, Professor of Ophthalmology at Anglia Ruskin University and Chief Investigator for the UKNEHS, said: “Our study aims to enable healthcare professionals and policy makers to understand why people are losing their sight and hearing due to preventable causes so they can target the right preventions, treatment, and public health services, providing support to people who really need it.”