FOI ref: FOI-2023-1221
You asked
I understand that you collect medical data from GP's and hospitals and am particularly interested in information on the UK's statistics on age diverse "visual impairments" appreciating many do not come necessarily come forward for early treatment or even disclose problems or issues with their mildly impaired sight and others only when significantly deteriorated. I am particularly interested in the scale of School Myopia and/or Asthenopia in the workplace. Would Accessibility Maturity Reporting or other sources be able to provide direct statistical information on the visual health of the UK?
We said
Thank you for your request.
We are responsible for the production of health data for England and Wales, this is driven by information collected from the death certificate at death registration. National Records Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for statistics pertaining to Scotland and Northern Ireland. They can be contacted at foi@nrscotland.gov.uk and info@nisra.gov.uk respectively.
We do not hold data relating to GP/hospital data regarding visual impairments. Whilst we receive some Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) and GP data, this information is related to specific projects, such as COVID-19.
NHS Digital may be better placed to answer your enquiry for English data. They can be contacted at enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk
The Royal National Institute of Blind People may also be able to assist: Key information and statistics on sight loss in the UK | RNIB