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A study into visual impairment due to undiagnosed refractive error has revealed that almost two out of every 100 working age adults in Britain, approximately 181,000 45-59 year-olds, have a functionally significant level of undiagnosed refractive error.

The findings were extrapolated from a study, to be published in September's British Journal of Ophthalmology, which looked at 9,271 individuals born in 1958 aged 44 to 45. Of those surveyed, 144 (1.6 per cent) had undiagnosed refractive error, 24 (18 per cent) of whom were classifiable as visually impaired.

Funded by the Medical Research Council, the study was conducted by epidemiologists from University College London Institute of Child Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.

Their findings also indicated that participants with undiagnosed refractive error were more likely to have a manual, opposed to non-manual, occupation and to be separated, divorced or widowed.

Participants who were classified as having undiagnosed refractive error had not previously reported any contact with an ophthalmic or health professional about their vision or a specific history of eye problems.

Among the potential measures to remedy visual impairment in this demographic considered by the study was the provision of 'off the shelf' distance vision spectacles (similar in principle to currently available ready-readers), to improve accessibility of corrective eyewear and 'bypass the need for formal assessment by an eye care professional'.

However, report authors conceded that this option had not been evaluated. A total of 3,513 individuals were discovered to have diagnosed refractive error of which 3,473 were fully corrected and 40 undercorrected.

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