Vision and hearing impairment among the population - the UK National Eye Health and Hearing Study
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN15218443 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN15218443 |
| Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) | 341742 |
| Central Portfolio Management System (CPMS) | 62188 |
| Sponsor | Anglia Ruskin University |
| Funders | Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, Glaucoma UK, Royal National Institute for Deaf People, Royal National Institute of Blind People, Macular Society, Thomas Pocklington Trust, Deafblind UK, Fight for Sight, Blinded Veterans Association |
- Submission date
- 24/02/2026
- Registration date
- 03/03/2026
- Last edited
- 03/03/2026
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Ear, Nose and Throat
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Given that we do not currently know how much vision and hearing impairment there is among the UK population, this research study aims to measure vision and hearing among adults aged 50+ years living in randomly selected households and understand how many residents are living with sensory impairment and to what degree this can be prevented or treated. Additionally, the study will explore why sensory impairments can remain undetected in the community.
Who can participate?
Adult residents aged 50+ years from allocated households across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. It is not possible to volunteer for the study.
What does the study involve?
The study involves taking consent from the invited residents or from a consultee if the resident does not have capacity, and then a sensory assessment at a local community research site or at the resident’s home if that is more convenient. The study takes place in one of 13 community research sites distributed across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, situated close to the clusters of households that have been randomly selected. Home visits are available for those who cannot attend a community research site. At either location, the research team will ask a series of questions about the resident’s demographics, their vision and hearing status, quality of life measures and also measurement of quality of vision and hearing.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Those who are selected to take part in the study will receive a free measurement of vision and hearing and a report of the findings of the study team. The participants will be thanked for their time with a gift voucher for £20. Where sensory impairment is detected, the participant will be informed and recommendations made for onward care where necessary. Where impacted earwax is detected by the team, the team will offer to remove it free of charge. There are no significant risks of participation.
Where is the study run from?
The host institution for the study is the Vision & Eye Research Institute, School of Medicine, Anglia Ruskin University, UK.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
October 2024 to June 2026.
Who is funding the study?
1. Guide Dogs for the Blind Association
2. Glaucoma UK
3. Royal National Institute for Deaf People (Action on Hearing Loss) (RNID)
4. The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
5. The Macular Society
6. Thomas Pocklington Trust Limited
7. Deafblind UK
8. Fight for Sight
9. Blind Veterans Association
Who is the main contact?
Prof Rupert Bourne, rb@rupertbourne.co.uk
Contact information
Public, Scientific, Principal investigator
Vision & Eye Research Institute, School of Medicine, Anglia Ruskin University
Cambridge
-
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-8169-1645 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 7931541295 |
| rb@rupertbourne.co.uk |
Study information
| Primary study design | Observational |
|---|---|
| Observational study design | Cross sectional study |
| Scientific title | The United Kingdom National Eye Health and Hearing Study (UKNEHS) Phase 2: Community Study |
| Study acronym | UKNEHS Community Study |
| Study objectives | Study Hypothesis. There is a significant undiagnosed or unmet need for vision and hearing care in people aged 50 years and older living in the community. |
| Ethics approval(s) |
Approved 29/05/2024, Wales REC 7 (Health and Care Research Wales, Castlebridge 4, Cardiff, CF11 9AB, United Kingdom; -; Wales.REC7@wales.nhs.uk), ref: 24/WA/0120 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Specialty: Ophthalmology, Primary sub-specialty: Other; Health Category: Ear, Eye; Disease/Condition: Visual disturbances and blindness, Other disorders of ear |
| Intervention | The UK lacks prevalence data on vision and hearing impairment and its causes within the population. The UK National Eye Health and Hearing Study (UKNEHS) has been designed to provide population-based data on met and unmet need and barriers to uptake of care among those aged 50 years and older, the sector of the population most affected by sensory impairment. The UKNEHS involves a pilot study involving two phases: a survey of sensory impairment among residents within a randomly selected representative group of care homes within an Integrated Care Board (ICB; Phase 1; already in progress), and a randomly enumerated sample of people aged 50+ years from the catchment population of an Integrated Care Board. This ethics application relates to the latter. People living within their own homes will be invited to take part in a study that involves questionnaires and a physical examination to collect data relating to individuals' personal and sociodemographic status, structural and functional aspects of sensory health and associated social, behavioural and medical factors. This study will be a prospective, multi-centre, cross-sectional observational study of sensory health among adults aged 50 years and older residing in the geographical area served by the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care Board. A multi-stage probability sampling design, common to many previous health surveys we have used internationally, including the Health Survey for England (HSE), will be employed. The sampling frame will be the small user Postcode Address File (PAF), sorted by the Index of Multiple Deprivation. Within the geographically defined region of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, we will draw a random sample of primary sampling units (PSUs; 1st stage), based on postcode sectors, with probability proportional to the size of the cluster (number of addresses). Within each PSU, a fixed number of postal addresses will be selected at random (2nd stage). In the third stage, all eligible residents of selected households will be invited to participate. These methods are appropriate to address the scientific objectives because they will ensure random selection of a population-representative sample. The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen; natcen.ac.uk) has been commissioned by the research team to draw this sample. This is a similar approach used by NatCen for other population-based studies, such as HSE. The research team is working with Eclipse Live (eclipselive.org), which gained NHS Digital central assurance in 2017 and is being supported by NHS central funding. The service works with 2500 GP Practices and has complete coverage of registrants of GP practices in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Regions utilising the service benefit from the creation of a dynamic centralised patient database containing individual patient clinical data information. Contiguous addresses (15 clusters of households) within each of the randomly chosen postcodes will be enumerated, the intention being to recruit 50 eligible people chosen systematically from one address to the next contiguous address. Further information regarding the recruitment process is available in the section on recruitment below. One or two days before the appointment at a study site (or participant’s home or virtual consultation), the participant/consultee will be telephoned to check that they still wish to participate and that the appointment arrangements are still convenient. On the day of the appointment, the attending research team will check again that the participant still wishes to proceed and conduct an interview with the participants, with support from family and carers (if this is the wish of the participant) collecting sociodemographic information, and complete questionnaires that explore self-reported medical and family history, cognitive function, depression, activities of daily living, frailty and quality of life. Access to sensory care and unmet need will be assessed, and permission sought to access the participant’s primary (general practitioner and optometric) and secondary care health records, to assess the diagnostic coverage of sensory impairment and potential associated medical history. The standard eye examination is a similar type of examination they would have in a high street optometric practice (recommended 2-yearly or yearly NHS-funded eye examination), but not involving a subjective refraction (this is a test of the power of the eyes by an optometrist that involves refinement with trial lenses and considerable concentration by the participant). At the end of the examination, the research team will explain the results of the examination and recommended actions to the participant (and consultee if present). If glasses are needed or glasses need updating, the research team will give the participant (or consultee if present/appropriate) information about what is required. They will be informed that these can be ordered from an optometric practice of their choice, and the information will be left with them. If the participant is found to have a hearing impairment that is likely due to the accumulation of earwax (confirmed by the otoscopy examination), the participant (and/or carer/consultee) will be offered removal of this by the research team, who are trained in this simple, painless procedure. If an ocular/hearing problem is detected or suspected which requires referral to the GP or hospital services, the patient (and consultee if present) will be informed and a referral made according to local protocol and the urgency of the condition requiring further assessment/treatment: in some cases, referrals to the hospital have to be made through the GP, in others a direct referral may be made. |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
|
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
|
| Completion date | 03/06/2025 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | |
|---|---|
| Age group | Mixed |
| Lower age limit | 50 Years |
| Upper age limit | 110 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 750 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Aged 50 years and older 2. Resident of a private household |
| Key exclusion criteria | Not meeting the key inclusion criteria |
| Date of first enrolment | 23/10/2024 |
| Date of final enrolment | 03/06/2025 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United Kingdom
- England
Study participating centres
Bottisham
Cambridge
CB25 9DD
England
Bretton
Peterborough
PE3 8NZ
England
Peterborough
PE6 7RT
England
Eye
Peterborough
PE6 7UP
England
Histon
CB24 9JY
England
Cambridge
CB4 2EZ
England
Godmanchester
Huntingdon
PE29 2NB
England
St. Neots, Cambridgeshire
PE19 6SL
England
Fordham
Ely
CB7 5NG
England
Whittlesey
PE7 1AY
England
Cambridge
CB2 3EL
England
Chatteris
PE16 6BE
England
Hemingford Grey
Huntingdon
PE28 9BX
England
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Data sharing statement to be made available at a later date |
| IPD sharing plan |
Editorial Notes
24/02/2026: Study's existence confirmed by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) (UK).
