Recent trends in visual impairment and blindness in the UK

Abstract

There is evidence of a temporal decline in the incidence of VI and SVI/BL in births from 1984 to 1998 especially in very preterm and low birthweight infants. Early childhood mortality was high. The causes of visual impairment in UK children are numerous, complex and often part of a wider picture of childhood disability.

Causes of certifications for severe sight impairment (blind) and sight impairment (partial sight) in children in England and Wales

“…This is largely due to high quality neonatal intensive care, and well-established screening and treatment programmes for premature babies in the UK 16. Our findings support previous studies demonstrating a low prevalence of blinding ROP in highly industrialised nations15 17 and re-emphasises findings from the Oxford registry which demonstrated a significantly reduced risk of visual impairment associated with prematurity and low birth weight in the 1980s and 1990s 12…”

“…In the developed world, cerebral visual impairment is the commonest cause of blindness 1 2 11. Contemporary estimates from the Oxford register in England found that cerebral visual impairment is a cause of visual impairment in up to 51% of cases, increasing to 87% for severe visual impariment 12. Rahi using surveillance by ophthalmologists and paediatricians determined that cerebral visual impairment alone was the cause of visual impairment in 48% of children and a 10-year retrospective analysis revealed that cerebral visual impairment and optic nerve disorders accounted for 43% of visually impaired children 11 13.…”

Outcomes of children born very preterm in Europe

“…In the EPICure cohort five of the six babies with severe visual disability had been treated for retinopathy. However, although the increased survival of the more susceptible infants has meant that rates and absolute numbers of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) needing treatment are on the increase, gestation-specific rates of visual impairment over a 15-year period to 1998 had decreased,66 which may reflect the efficacy of ROP screening programmes.…”

How Effective is Low Vision Service Provision? A Systematic Review

“…Average 5 home visits by rehabilitation teachers (range [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Average number of hours nearly 7 (range 1-21).…”