Trends in adult visual impairment certification in Northern Ireland: a 10-year analysis

Abstract

Purpose: In the UK, people are certified as severely sight impaired (SSI) or sight impaired (SI) according to Government guidelines. Certification ensures people with visual impairments can access adequate support and benefits. Certification of visual impairment data has been collected and analysed in Northern Ireland by a team and full continuous data is available from 2014 to 2023.Methods: Data from certification forms was collected, entered into an Excel spreadsheet, and 10% was validated by the certification of visual impairment team. This data was collated, cleaned and analysed using IBM SPSS (version 27) for frequency, mean, median and interquartile ranges.Results: Results show that over a 10-year period (2014–2023) the number of certifications in Northern Ireland has increased to a point where they are aligned with figures from other regions of the United Kingdom (UK). Results show that more people are certified as SSI than SI in Northern Ireland (NI) which is in contrast to figures reported in England and Wales. More females are certified than males in NI. Similarly to England and Wales, the most common cause of certification of visual impairment in adults in NI is Age-Related Macular Degeneration, accounting for around 50% of certifications annually. The second most common cause is glaucoma followed by diabetic eye disease (DED). In working age adults, DED is the leading cause of certification.Conclusion: The results from 10 years of certification data in NI show common themes with other high-income countries, including increased certification, particularly among females, and the most common causes of certification remain AMD, glaucoma and DED.<br/