Visual impairment, blindness in an aging society

Purpose We face a global growth in the prevalence of age related sight loss and yet services even in well developed countries in Europe, do not currently meet the rehabilitation needs of elderly blind. Nearly 25% of people in the European Union will be over the age of 65 by 2030. It is currently estimated that there are 12 million visually impaired older people in Europe and this is set to grow. The prevalence of serious sight loss increases exponentially with age, from 3.27% between 60 and 69 years up to 15% between 80 and 89 years. We need to think about how we meet the needs of the older old.