London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

At least one out of four older people with a visual impairment is suffering unnecessarily because interventions which are safe and effective are not being delivered to them, a new study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology reveals.

The study, carried out by researchers from the Institute of Ophthalmology and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, was funded by the Medical Research Council and Thomas Pocklington Trust. Pocklington is England's largest specialist provider of quality housing, care and support services for people with sight loss which also funds research into the prevention and alleviation and cure of sight loss. The study sought to identify the causes of visual impairment in people aged 75 and over at 49 GP practices across Britain.

The population in the UK is ageing quickly. By 2040, the number of people aged 75 and over is expected to increase by 90%, and by 160% for those aged 90 and over . Age-related diseases such as cataract and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) will assume increasing importance in the public health of the nation.

The researchers found that 12.5% of the people surveyed were visually impaired. Of these, 26% or approximately one in four were believed to be suffering from refractive error, which is a treatable condition. The cause of visual loss was available for 76% of the remaining patients, and the main cause in their case was age related macular degeneration (52.9% had this), followed by cataract (35.9%), glaucoma (11.6%), myopic degeneration (4.2%) and diabetic eye disease (3.4%).

'A substantial proportion of visual impairment in our sample of older people in Britain can be attributed to remediable causes', comments Jennifer Evans, Lecturer in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and one of the report's authors. 'Refractive error (blurred vision) and cataract can both be treated, and there is considerable potential for visual rehabilitation in this age group. Low-vision services would also benefit large numbers of patients with macular degeneration.

'But older people are clearly missing out on these interventions, and not being made aware that getting older does not always have to lead to declining vision. The challenge now is to ensure that these interventions are delivered to the older people who need them', she concludes.

Ends

To arrange to interview the authors of this study, please contact the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine's Press Office on 020 7927 2073.

Causes of visual impairment in people aged 75 years and older in Britain: an add-on study to the MRC Trial of assessment and management of older people in the community: Jennifer Evans MSc, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Epidemiology and International Eye Health, Institute of Ophthalmology; Astrid Fletcher PhD, Professor of Epidemiology and Ageing, Centre for Ageing and Public Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; Richard PL Wormald FRCOphth, Honorary Senior Lecturer in Ophthalmic Epidemiology.

The study was an add-on study to the Medical Research Council's Trial of the assessment and management of older people in the community

Thomas Pocklington Trust is the largest specialist provider of housing and support services for people with sight loss in England. In addition to promoting services, Pocklington also funds a £750,000 social and public health research budget over a three-year period www.pocklington-trust.org.uk