Cost of sight loss
Sight loss is costing Wales in excess of £370m a year. RNIB Cymru warns that, with the number of people with sight loss expected to double in the next 25 years, urgent action is needed to reduce the impact of sight loss on individuals and wider society.
Ceri Jackson, Acting Director of RNIB Cymru, explained: "As things stand, it seems hard to image how already over-stretched Welsh Government budgets will be able to respond to the significant increases in demand we can expect in the near future. However, half of all sight loss is preventable. What this report shows is that it is not only morally right to do all we can to stop people losing their sight unnecessarily: it is a financial necessity."
The NHS in Wales spends nearly £120m a year on eye and vision problems. The impact of sight loss on all areas of a person's life, however, generates a wide range of additional, hidden, costs such as informal care and worklessness. Other 'hidden costs' include:
-
Falls. People with sight loss are 90 per cent more likely to experience multiple falls than a person with no visual impairment.
-
Mental ill health. Older people with sight loss are almost three times more likely to experience depression than people with good vision.
-
Inpatient admissions. Patients with a visual impairment stay in hospital an average two days longer when admitted for any physical condition.
Mike Edwards
Mike Edwards, from Presteigne in Powys, knows firsthand about the cost and impact of sight loss. He has myopic macular degeneration and was registered blind in 1994: "In some ways I consider myself lucky, as I lost my sight quite gradually. It was still a real shock, though, the day I was registered blind: the realisation that I really was losing my sight finally hit home. You can feel your independence just being sucked away: not being able to just pick up a book and read what you like, for example, and having to stop driving - that felt like losing an arm or a leg.
"Eventually, you learn to adapt. You find new ways of doing things, and there are some amazing gadgets and technology out there to help. You can overcome a lot of the initial challenges of sight loss, but it is hard work and it does take time: you really have to push yourself, to learn again to do things that were simple before.
"There is an economic impact too. I had to give up work because of my sight loss, and there are a lot of additional costs. Specialist equipment is great, but can be quite expensive. Taxis are a big cost for me now I can't drive, especially in a rural area where public transport isn't frequent and distances are long. Cleaning, gardening and DIY all need to be done by someone else. It really can have a big impact."
RNIB Cymru's report makes a range of recommendations aimed at reducing the cost and impact of sight loss. These include public health initiatives aimed at increasing the uptake of sight tests, vision screening for children in school and increased capacity in eye care services - all measures aimed at reducing avoidable sight loss. The report also includes recommendations on improvements to services for blind and partially sighted people, which would help to lessen the long-term impact of sight loss on individuals.
National Eye Health Week
The report is being published during National Eye Health Week, an annual event which brings a range of organisations and professionals together to promote the importance of eye health and the need for regular sight tests for all.
You may download the report here: