Sight loss can affect anyone at any time.
There are many myths about sight loss but here are some important facts.
Facts About Sight Loss
- Every day over 100 people start to lose their sight in the UK.
- Almost two million people in the UK are living with sight loss. That's approximately one person in thirty.
- 1 in 5 people aged 75 and over are living with sight loss.
- Sight loss affects people of all ages, but as we get older we are increasingly likely to experience sight loss.
- 9% of us will become blind or partially sighted by the time we reach the age of 60.
- Over 50 per cent of sight loss can be avoided.
The number of people in the UK with sight loss is set to increase dramatically in the future as the UK population is ageing.
It is predicted that by 2020 the number of people with sight loss will rise to over 2,250,000 and that by 2050, the numbers of people with sight loss in the UK will double to nearly four million.