A pilot study is currently underway in preparation for a UK National Eye Health and Hearing Study (UKNEHS). This will help to ensure an up-to-date and comprehensive picture of sight and hearing loss among over 50s in the UK. Such data is urgently needed to plan future services, improve outcomes for the UK population as a whole and to develop a more effective public health strategy.
Meetings in Parliament have highlighted the scale of this unmet need. It’s been 50 years since the UK planned a National Study of Hearing in the 1970s and there is now a lack of nationally-representative data. There is also no high quality data in the UK on eye health or globally on dual sensory impairment of hearing and vision, which has such a high impact on those affected.
The pilot project began in late summer in the Integrated Care System (ICS) of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, funded by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, DeafblindUK and several eyecare charities. It involves a sensory assessment in a randomly chosen selection of care homes and then in 750 randomly selected individuals aged 50 or older. The hearing component includes a series of questionnaires relating to hearing ability, tinnitus, noise and risk factors for hearing loss, health economics, quality of life and access to services. The hearing assessment involves digital otoscopy and audiometry (TympaHealth), digits-in-noise test (hearX) and cognitive tests.
The intention is that the logistics and findings will be scaled up for the national study, which will involve 25,000 participants and encompass all four UK nations.
The research team would be delighted to involve interested parties across the hearing sector, from hearing care professionals, academics and their institutions, charities and patients and public, who would like to play a role in this important, inclusive and cutting-edge national project.
Those who are interested are invited to contact the UKNEHS team via info@uknehs.org.uk
For more information, see:
uknehs.org.uk
