Millions of older Britons likely to have undiagnosed sight and hearing problems, study finds | Health policy

It is predicted that millions of people aged 50 and over in the UK will have undiagnosed vision or hearing problems, leading to calls for this age group to have more regular checks.

Doctors involved in the study said the findings were “deeply worrying” and warned those affected were at risk of falling, experiencing mental health problems and living socially restricted lives.

According to the UK National Eye Health and Hearing Survey, a quarter of people aged 50 and over in the UK (6.7 million people) are thought to be unable to see clearly in one or both eyes.

The study, the first of its kind, also found that three in four older Britons (20.3 million people) are likely to have some form of hearing loss in one or both ears.

Vision and hearing experts involved in the study said the research revealed “widespread covert sensory loss” and that many of those affected were unaware of their condition.

“These figures are extremely worrying,” said Rupert Bourne, professor of ophthalmology at Anglia Ruskin University and lead investigator of the study.

“They show that sensory health is being overlooked, even in high-risk groups. We are missing critical opportunities to prevent preventable vision and hearing loss.”

The research findings are based on a survey of more than 500 people aged 50 and over living at home or in care homes in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire.

If the same findings were seen across the entire UK population, this would mean:

• 6.7 million people aged 50 and over in the UK have vision problems in one or both eyes

• 2.4 million of them are visually impaired in one eye.

• 20.3 million people have some type of hearing loss in one or both ears

• 7.7 million people cannot hear clearly with both ears

“We are lucky enough to live in a country with a national health service that provides universal care and is free at the point of delivery. But despite this and free NHS eye tests from the age of 60, one in four people over the age of 50 have vision impairment in one or both eyes, much of which could have been prevented,” Bourne said.

The research revealed a significant “unmet need” for help with vision and hearing health. Many of the people they examined said their hearing was better than tests showed.

Co-author of the findings and ear, nose and throat consultant at University Hospital Birmingham NHS trust Dr. “We know from research that many people have hearing problems that they are not aware of,” said Jameel Muzaffar.

He and Bourne said the results were particularly concerning given the link between dementia and untreated vision or hearing problems.

Hearing loss and vision loss both increase the risk of dementia latest findings From the commission on how to prevent the disease, which the Lancet medical journal reported in July last year. It also identified depression, high blood pressure, air pollution and poor nutrition as other risk factors.

Sight loss estimated to cost UK £58bn a year due to loss of productivity and the burden this places on the NHS, the wider care system, families and carers.

Michael Bowen, director of information and research at the College of Optometrists, said: “The study’s findings reveal how, although people over 60 across the UK are able to benefit from free NHS eye tests, how many people do not attend regular eye tests, which can detect these eye conditions.”

The authors of the study say the NHS should make much more widespread use of mobile diagnostic tests to detect and treat sensory disorders in non-hospital settings such as health clinics and care homes.