Sight loss adds 25% to basic living costs

People with sight loss can face at least 25 per cent higher costs for everyday living than those who are fully sighted, according to a new study conducted by the sight loss charity Thomas Pocklington Trust.

The methods used to calculate Minimum Income Standards (MIS) were applied to people with disabilities. The research looked at sight loss and hearing loss and showed that both impairments led to substantial extra costs if a minimum acceptable standard of living was to be reached.

The study, Disability and minimum living standards: The additional costs of living for people who are sight impaired and people who are Deaf was carried out by researchers at the Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) Loughborough University and University Campus Suffolk. Costs were calculated using the same methods used for national MIS – groups of members of the public, in this case people living with sight loss or hearing loss, were asked to list all the things required for a minimum living standard.