Eye Q report illustrates eye health inequalities

A new report has highlighted “stark eye health inequalities” and a gap in public knowledge around the services that are available in optometry practices on the High Street.

Commissioned by Eye Health UK and the Thomas Pocklington trust, the Eye Q report was released to mark National Eye Health Week (19–25 September) and sought to determine the public’s knowledge, understanding and behaviours around eye health and sight tests.

Surveying UK adults, the report found that 47% of people rank their quality of vision as ‘Fair’ on a scale from ‘Excellent,’ ‘Very Good,’ ‘Fair,’ ‘Poor,’ to ‘Very Poor.’

People from ethnic minorities were twice as likely to rate their vision as ‘Poor/Very Poor,’ compared to the UK average, the report suggested.

Those with a household income of less than £14,000 were five times more likely to say their vision was ‘Poor/Very Poor,’ compared to someone with a household income of over £83,000.

Commenting on the report, David Cartwright, chair of Eye Health UK, suggested the Eye Q report highlighted a “significant need” to improve eye health equality.

Extrapolating data from the Eye Q research survey and UK population data, the report suggested that 17.5 million people haven’t had an eye test in the last two years.

Men and individuals from minority ethnic groups are most likely to not have had a routine test, the report indicated.

Exploring the reasons that people have not had an eye test, researchers acknowledged the impact of the pandemic but noted that this was not given as a key reason for poor uptake.

Instead, the cost of eye care was the main reason (36%) for not having an eye test, followed by the “misnomer that ‘if your eyes are fine you don’t need to have an eye test.’”

For 18% of people with sight loss who have not had a recent eye test, “they mistakenly believe their hospital consultant is already monitoring their general eye health,” researchers found.

Commenting on this, Mike Bell, head of public affairs and campaigns at Thomas Pocklington Trust, a charity dedicated to enabling and empowering blind and partially sighted people, said: “The Eye Q report has revealed how little knowledge there is about the importance of eye health, including amongst people already living with some form of sight loss.”

Highlighting the importance of regular eye tests, Bell emphasised: “The message is clear, get regular eye health checks and never ignore changes in your vision.”

The Eye Q report has revealed how little knowledge there is about the importance of eye health, including amongst people already living with some form of sight loss

The report suggested that knowledge around NHS eye care entitlement is “patchy,” with one in 10 over 65s unaware that they are entitled to NHS eye tests.

In Scotland, 26% of people don’t know they are entitled to a free NHS sight test, the report suggested, despite the fact the free service was expanded to Scotland’s whole population in 2006.

When it comes to the services that are provided in High Street optometry practices, one third of people reported being aware of emergency eye care services (36%) or NHS appointments for minor eye conditions (35%).

Eye Health UK’s Cartwright commented on the need to promote eye care services that people can access on the High Street.

“Improving public awareness of the community eye care offering will help improve the nation’s eye health and prevent avoidable sight loss,” he added.

Researchers also explored the public’s ability to recognise red flag symptoms, as well as awareness of the lifestyle factors that can affect eye health and vision.

The report indicated: “We found a worrying lack of awareness of ‘red flag’ symptoms linked to sight-threatening eye conditions.”

Only one in five people surveyed said they would seek same-day medical attention if they suddenly experienced a lot of flashes and floaters in their vision, while just under half said they would take urgent action if they saw a shadow, veil or curtain over their vision.

When considering lifestyle factors, only 8% of people link exercise and eye health and 13% linked smoking with sight loss.

Similarly, 13% of peri-menopausal and menopausal women made the connection between fluctuating hormones during the menopause and eye health.

Exploring attitudes towards sun protection, four in 10 people said they don’t check that sunglasses provide adequate UV protection before purchasing, and 23% thought it was only necessary in spring and summer months.

The report also found that only a third of people surveyed who have a close relative with glaucoma think they themselves are at risk of the condition, rising to only one in six amongst respondents aged between 18–24.

Meanwhile, one in eight people who have a close relative with myopia think that this could put them at risk of the condition.