Millions of older British people are likely to suffer from undiagnosed sensory problems, study finds Health policy

Millions of people aged 50 or over in the UK are expected to have undiagnosed sight or hearing problems, prompting this age group to seek more regular checks.

Doctors involved in the related research said the findings were “deeply worrying” and warned that those affected were at risk of falling, suffering mental ill-health and living socially restricted lives.

Among people aged 50 or over in the UK, one in four – 6.7 million people – are thought to be unable to see clearly out of one or both eyes, according to the UK National Eye and Hearing Health Study.

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

Sight and hearing experts involved in the study said the research revealed “widespread hidden sensory loss”, with many of those affected unaware of their condition.

“These numbers are deeply worrying,” said Robert Bourne, professor of ophthalmology at Anglia Ruskin University and lead researcher on the study.

“It shows that sensory health is being overlooked, even among high-risk groups. We are missing critical opportunities to prevent avoidable vision and hearing loss.”

The study’s findings are based on an examination of more than 500 people aged 50 or over living at home or in care homes in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire.

If the same results were seen in the UK population as a whole, it would mean that:

• 6.7 million people in the UK aged 50 or over have difficulty seeing in one or both eyes

• 2.4 million of them suffer from poor vision in one eye

• 20.3 million people suffer from some form 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 comprehensive, free care at the point of birth. But despite this, and the free eye tests provided by the NHS, from the age of 60, one in four over-50s have preventable vision loss in one or both eyes,” Bourne said.

The study revealed “significant unmet needs” for help with vision and hearing health. He added that many of those examined said their hearing was better than the tests showed.

Dr Jameel Muzaffar, a consultant ear, nose and throat at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and co-author of the findings, said: “We know from the study that many people have hearing problems that they are not aware of.”

He and Bourne said the findings are particularly concerning given the relationship between dementia and untreated vision or hearing problems.

Hearing loss and vision loss increase the risk of dementia, according to the report Latest results From a Lancet medical journal panel on how to prevent the disease, reported in July last year. It also identified depression, high blood pressure, air pollution and poor nutrition as other risk factors.

Sight loss is estimated to cost the UK 58 billion pounds annually In lost productivity and through the burden it places on the NHS, the wider care system, families and carers.

Michael Bowen, Director of Knowledge and Research at the College of Optometrists, said: “The study findings highlight the number of people who do not attend regular eye tests, where these eye conditions can be detected, despite people over the age of 60 being eligible for free NHS eye tests across the UK.

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