ArticleBMC health services research2018
The economic impact of sight loss and blindness in the UK adult population.
Article in BMC health services research, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 107 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
107 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Global estimates on the number of people blind or visually impaired by diabetic retinopathy: a meta-analysis from 2000 to 2020.Eye (London, England) · 2024Pooled it
- Optical coherence tomography imaging biomarkers associated with neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a systematic review.Eye (London, England) · 2023Pooled it
- Biomechanical adaptation to post-stroke visual field loss: a systematic review.Systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Causes of blindness and vision impairment in 2020 and trends over 30 years, and prevalence of avoidable blindness in relation to VISION 2020: the Right to Sight: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study.The Lancet. Global health · 2021Pooled it
- Tele-ophthalmology-enabled and artificial intelligence-ready referral pathway for community optometry referrals of retinal disease: HERMES cluster randomised trial with a diagnostic accuracy study.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2025Trial
- Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Low-Dose Atropine Eye Drops (0.01%) for the Treatment of Myopia in Children: A United Kingdom Perspective.PharmacoEconomics · 2026Article
- Rapid Access Macular Screening and Evaluation: A Datasheet for a Dataset to Diagnose and Triage Macular Diseases.Ophthalmology science · 2026Article
- Direct and indirect costs associated with declining distance visual acuity: A nationwide longitudinal cost-of-illness study with 11-year follow-up.Acta ophthalmologica · 2026Observational
- Recent Developments in Research to Make the World Better for People with Low Vision.Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists) · 2026Review
- Using intersectionality to explore physical activity participation amongst individuals with vision loss from ethnic minority backgrounds in the United Kingdom.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Exploration of Factors Influencing Participation of Primary Eye Care Clinicians in Low Vision Services.Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists) · 2026Article
- Economic burden of blindness and moderate to severe vision impairment in Slovenia.Health economics review · 2026Article
- Article
- Causal Effects of Gut Microbiota and Associated Metabolites on Retinal Diseases and Visual Impairment: A Mendelian Randomization Study.Journal of ophthalmology · 2026Article
- Understanding healthcare accessibility for military veterans living with Charles Bonnet Syndrome: co-production of a psychoeducational toolkit.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Review
- Article
- Global burden and geospatial drivers of sensory impairment with sense organ disease projections to 2050.Communications medicine · 2025Article
- The prevalence and costs of optical correction for childhood myopia in Scotland.Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists) · 2025Article
- Association between self-reported vision and mental well-being: a cross-sectional secondary analysis of Health Survey for England data.BMJ open · 2025Article
47 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTo quantify the economic impact of sight loss and blindness in the United Kingdom (UK) population, including direct and indirect costs, and its burden on health.
methodsPrevalence data on sight loss and blindness by condition, Census demographic data, data on indirect costs, and healthcare cost databases were used. Blindness was defined as best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of < 6/60, and sight loss as BCVA < 6/12 to 6/60, in the better-seeing eye.
resultsSight loss and blindness from age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataract, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and under-corrected refractive error are estimated to affect 1.93 (1.58 to 2.31) million people in the UK. Direct health care system costs were £3.0 billion, with inpatient and day care costs comprising £735 million (24.6%) and outpatient costs comprising £771 million (25.8%). Indirect costs amounted to £5.65 (5.12 to 6.22) billion. The value of the loss of healthy life associated with sight loss and blindness was estimated to be £19.5 (15.9 to 23.3) billion or £7.2 (5.9 to 8.6) billion, depending on the set of disability weights used. For comparison with other published results using 2004 disability weights and the 2008 estimates, the total economic cost of sight loss and blindness was estimated to be £28.1 (24.0 to 32.5) billion in 2013. Using 2010 disability weights, the estimated economic cost of sight loss and blindness was estimated to be £15.8 (13.5 to 18.3) billion in 2013.
conclusionsThe large prevalence of sight loss and blindness in the UK population imposes significant costs on public funds, private expenditure, and health. Prevalence estimates relied on dated epidemiological studies and may not capture recent advances in treatment, highlighting the need for population-based studies that track the prevalence of sight-impairing eye conditions and treatment effects over time.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.