New UK study finds widespread hidden sensory loss

The study, which took place earlier this year, first tested vision and hearing loss among residents of care homes. In the second phase, people over the age of 50 in randomly selected postcodes across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough were invited to be tested.

The response rate of over 65% demonstrated strong public engagement and the feasibility of using mobile diagnostics and digital tools in community settings.

The College has supported the study from the very start. At an event in London on October 10, sensory loss charities, policy makers and researchers, discussed the findings and launched a campaign for the study to be extended across the UK. The researchers are calling for full support and funding from all four UK governments.

Rupert Bourne, Professor of Ophthalmology at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and principal investigator of the study, said: “These figures are deeply concerning. They show that sensory health is being overlooked, even among high-risk groups. We are missing critical opportunities to prevent avoidable sight and hearing loss.”

Sensory loss is estimated to cost the UK £58 billion annually, through lost productivity, increased care needs, and mental health consequences. However, the UK does not have up-to-date, population level data on vision and hearing health, falling behind nations including Nepal, Trinidad and Bangladesh.

Professor Bourne added: “This lack of data means we are unable to measure the true scale of unmet need or evaluate the effectiveness of existing services. This is not just a data gap - it is a public health infrastructure gap. The UK National Eye Health and Hearing Study aims to provide the baseline data needed to shape more effective, targeted, and equitable health and social care services.”

Jameel Muzaffar, ENT Consultant at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, said: “As we know from the study, lots of people have problems with hearing that they’re just not aware of.

“We know that untreated hearing loss, particularly in mid-life, is one of the biggest potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia.

“Loss of hearing separates people from people, it leads to social withdrawal, isolation, depression and, in the working age population, is associated with unemployment or underemployment.”