Our research topics

These reports cover the general experiences, circumstances and opinions of blind and partially sighted people. The reports are listed in chronological order with the latest research at the top.

View our general research here

Our ‘Voice of the customer’ is an ongoing programme which includes a regular survey of around 400 people with sight loss, analysis of what people are talking about on our social media channels, and monthly focus groups which allow us to dive deeper into issues. You can view the reports on this here.

Early reach research focuses on the support available at the point of diagnosis for anyone losing their sight.

• Only 17 per cent of blind and partially sighted people experiencing sight loss in the UK were offered any form of emotional support in relation to their deteriorating vision.
• 21 per cent of people who are registered blind or partially sighted are “not very” or “not at all” satisfied with the information and advice they have received in the eye clinic over the years.

View our early reach research.

Our research on education, children, young people and families looks into the accessibility of exams, education attainment and provisions of educational services.

Participation of disabled children in inclusive education is now well established in policy and practice. However, evidence shows that the quality of provision is patchy, that learning materials are not consistently made available in alternative formats and that a drift towards generic services is depriving blind and partially sighted children and young people of specialist support.

• There are over 25,000 children with a vision impairment aged 0 to 16 years in the UK, and an additional 15,000 children aged 17 to 25 years.
• Around 2 in every 1,000 children in the UK has a vision impairment.
• Around 50 per cent of children and young people with vision impairment have additional special educational needs or disabilities.
• Children with vision impairment have worse educational outcomes than those without a special educational needs or disability.

Research in this area includes the accessibility of exams, education attainment and provision of educational services by local authorities.

View our education and children, young people and families research here

Read our Freedom of Information (FOI) Reports

External research

In addition to the education research carried out by or on behalf of RNIB, there are some key external research reports that may be of interest.

Post-16 transition experience of visually impaired young people in England and Wales: Early findings from a longitudinal study

The British Journal of Visual Impairment recently published this article which describes a longitudinal study which is tracking the progress of 78 young people with visual impairments in England and Wales as they make this transition.

• Visit the BJVI website for the online version of the article.

Oversight of special education for young people aged 16-25

Earlier in the year the National Audit Office (NAO) carried out a review of education and transition of young people with SEN, which RNIB contributed to. We also encouraged young people, and professionals, to take part in the consultation. The final report is now published.

• Read the report on the National Audit Office website

International review of the literature of evidence of best practice models and outcomes in the education of blind and visually impaired children

This review, commissioned by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in the Republic of Ireland, was carried out by researchers at the University of Birmingham and St Patrick's College, Dublin.

• Read the report on the National Council for Special Education website

Progression post-16 for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities

This survey, carried out by Ofsted, evaluates the arrangements for transition from school and the provision in post-16 settings for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities up to the age of 25.

• Read the report on the Ofsted website

Blind and partially sighted people are significantly less likely to be in paid employment than the general population or other disabled people.

• One in four registered blind and partially sighted people are in employment, and this hasn’t significantly changed in a generation.
• There are approximately 84,500 registered blind and partially sighted people of working age in the UK.

These reports cover the employment status of blind and partially sighted people of working age and the barriers they face with employment.

View our employment research here

Demand for eye care is at an all-time high and is increasing. The clinical journey can be confusing and complex, and non-clinical support is not consistently embedded. However, with the right support, blind and partially sighted people can come to terms with changes in their eye health and live independent and fulfilled lives.

• There were more than eight million eye care outpatient appointments across the UK in 2021/22 – the highest footfall for any specialism.
• The over two million people living with sight loss in the UK today will double to over four million by 2050.
• 25 per cent of UK adults have not had an eye test in two years or more.

These reports cover a range of eye health issues including what we know about the eye care support pathway, as well as research on incidence and prevalence.

View our eye health research here

It is well recognised that health outcomes are significantly influenced by social inequality. People with sight loss are more likely to have both physical and mental health problems.

• Blind and partially sighted people are more than twice as likely to be dissatisfied with their health.
• Blind and partially sighted people are twice as likely to be obese.
• Blind and partially sighted people are twice as likely to have experienced unhappiness or depression.

These reports cover a range of issues related to health and well-being, including psychological needs, access to physical activity and sport, and falls.

View our health and well-being research.

People affected by sight loss tell us that doing their own shopping and being in control of their finances is important for their self-esteem and sense of independence. However blind and partially sighted people face additional costs due to their sight loss, are more likely to live in a low‑income household, and appear to be hit harder by the recent increases in the cost of living than the wider population.

• People with sight loss are twice as likely to have difficulty managing financially than the UK average; and they are less likely to be regular savers.
• People with sight loss of working age are more than twice as likely to live in a household with a monthly income less than £1,500.
• Only two in five blind and partially sighted people are able to manage their finances independently.

These reports cover the financial circumstances and pressures of blind and partially sighted people.

• View our money, benefits and finance research

Blind and partially sighted people access written material in a variety of ways and depending on their level of sight including reading in large print or braille, or having information read aloud in an audio format.

Braille and audio are both preferred formats for blind/severely sight impaired people while partially sighted/sight impaired people prefer reading standard print with the aid of a magnifier or reading large print text.

Our ‘Reading’ research focuses on the use of braille as a reading format for people with little or no sight and how it’s used in education to aid learning of children with a vision impairment through to implementation of braille on food and medical packaging.

Some key facts about reading and sight loss:

• From our research, we estimate there are around 26,000 braille users in the UK.
• Nine out of ten blind and partially sighted people find information on medication or food packaging quite difficult or impossible to read.
• While 40% find information from health providers is never accessible.

Technology, with the right guidance and support on how to use it, is a real enabler for blind and partially sighted people. Yet our research tells us that people with sight loss are twice as likely to be digitally excluded compared to the UK average.

A good place to start is this Technology and sight loss briefing which provides an overview on the tech experiences of blind and partially sighted people e.g. access to internet, smartphone and tablet use, etc. It also looks at the types of assistive technology which is used by blind and partially sighted people to enable them to access content independently.

Our ‘Technology’ research section also contains a wealth of insight on the different technologies which aid blind and partially sighted people including the use of audio description on TV and in sport.

Key stats on technology:

• Nearly all people across the UK will be online by 2026, yet it will take an additional eight years – until 2034 – before nearly all people with sight loss are online.
• People with a sensory impairment are one third less likely than the UK population to have basic digital skills (56% vs 84%).
• Barriers to digital inclusion for blind and partially sighted people include cost, capability, and confidence, as well as accessibility and safety concerns.

The ability to get around either by foot or via public transportation is key for blind and partially sighted people’s safety and independence. Travel has a significant influence on other life areas including access to education and employment, access to shopping, leisure and sport, and socialising with family and friends.

Our ‘Transport and getting around’ research provides rich data on the daily issues people with sight loss encounter when travelling and getting around, whether this is cluttered streets, inaccessible travel information at bus or railway stations, or poor awareness of transport staff when it comes to assisting a blind or partially sighted person.

Findings on this topic include:

• One in three blind and partially sighted people rarely or never use public transport.
• Over half of people with sight loss find it difficult to navigate public transport facilities e.g., bus/train stations.
• A third of blind and partially sighted people say it is extremely important to reduce street clutter as it affects mobility. And, in the last year, three in ten people (30%) have been injured by something they have bumped into while navigating around.