RNIB predicts 27% rise in people living with sight loss in the UK by 2035

Following the release of the estimates, the RNIB is calling on the UK Government to develop and implement a national eye care plan to prevent avoidable sight loss

2 min read

A person uses a white cane on a pavement, we only see their feet and the end of their cane.

Getty/FG Trade

Kimberley Young

14 October 2024

New research from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) estimates that there will be a 27% rise in the number of people living with sight loss in the UK by 2035.

Following the new research, released to mark World Sight Day (10 October), the charity has called on the UK Government to make eye health a priority and ensure everyone receives “the right support at the right time.”

The research is based on current prevalence and future population projections, and predicts that 2.8 million people across the UK will be living with sight loss in the next 11 years.

The RNIB has said that, based on estimates from 2022, this equates to an increase of 27% in the number of people who will have sight loss by 2035 – meaning one in five people in the UK will experience sight loss in their lifetime.

The charity highlighted that there is also likely to be a significant increase in the number of people in the UK with severe sight loss or being registered blind, with a 29% increase from 298,000 in 2022 to approximately 379,000 in 2035.

Potential contributing factors for the increase in sight loss could be increasing life expectancy, an ageing population and demographic changes, while the RNIB highlighted that waiting times for diagnosis and treatment, as well as an increase in the number of people living with diabetes, are also factors.

The RNIB is calling on the Government to develop a National Eye Care Plan in England. The charity is also encouraging the public to look after their eyes by attending routine eye tests.

Matt Stringer, CEO of RNIB said: “As well as calling on the UK public to get their eyes tested regularly every two years, RNIB is calling on the UK Government to develop and implement a national eye care plan to fix delays in eye care and stop avoidable sight loss.”

“Prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of common sight conditions are key to reduce the number of people who will experience sight loss in their lifetime,” he commented, emphasising that regular eye tests are “crucial” in preventing avoidable sight loss.