People with eyesight issues could get up to £434 a month from DWP - check if you qualify

If you are over State Pension age and have problems with your eyesight, it may be worth finding out if you could get extra financial help from the Government.

Not many people know that Attendance Allowance can help with daily living expenses if you have a health condition and you need someone to help look after you. Thousands of people across the UK claim this benefit from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) due to issues with their eyesight or sight loss.

It is paid at two different rates and how much you get depends on the level of care that you need because of your disability or health condition. You could get £72.65 or £108.55 a week to help with personal support, however Attendance Allowance does not cover mobility needs.

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An estimated two million people across Britain are living with eyesight issues or a degenerative eye condition. More than 59,000 working age adults under 65 are receiving extra financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Adult Disability Payment (ADP), while nearly 50,000 people over State Pension age are getting regular payments through Attendance Allowance, reports the Daily Record.

Older people claiming Attendance Allowance for sight loss conditions

Latest DWP figures show that in February 2024 there were 49,677 people receiving either £68.10 or £101.75 each week for a ‘Visual Disorder or Disease’.

This overall figure includes claimants in:

• Scotland: 4,526

• England: 41,862

• Wales: 3,159

• Living Abroad: 126

• Total: 49,677

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Common eye conditions affecting older people

There are over 45 eye conditions affecting adults across the country, these include:

• Cataract

• Myopia (short-sightedness)

• Macular Degeneration - Wet and Dry (also referred to as age-related MD)

• Glaucoma

• Retinitis Pigmentosa

• Retina and optic nerve - other diseases of / type not known

• Diabetic Retinopathy (a condition that can cause vision loss in people with diabetes)

If you, or someone you know, under State Pension age has a sight condition, you should consider making a new claim for PIP. If you, or someone you know, is over State Pension age and living with a sight condition, even really high myopia (short sightedness), you should consider making a claim for Attendance Allowance.

Sight loss conditions

These are common health issues affecting eyesight that are being supported through disability benefits, but if your condition is not listed, it doesn’t mean it’s not supported.

Diseases of conjunctiva, cornea, eyelids and lacrimal apparatus

• Conjunctiva, cornea, eyelids and lacrimal apparatus - Other diseases of / type not known

• Corneal ulceration

• Entropion

• Herpes zoster - ophthalmic

• Keratitis

• Keratoconus

• Orbital cellulitis

• Ptosis

• Scleritis

Uveitis

• Anterior Uveitis (iritis)

• Chorioretinal disorders - Other / type not known

• Posterior (choroiditis)

Glaucoma

Visual injuries to the eye

Vitreous disease

• Posterior vitreous detachment

• Vitreous disease - Other / type not known

• Vitreous haemorrhage

Diseases of the retina and optic nerve

• Diabetic retinopathy

• Hypertensive retinopathy

• Macular degeneration

• Optic atrophy

• Optic neuritis

• Retina and optic nerve - Other diseases of / type not known

• Retinal artery occlusion

• Retinal detachment

• Retinal vein occlusion

• Retinitis Pigmentosa

• Retinopathy - Other / type not known

Cataract

Refractive errors

• Astigmatism

• Hypermetropia (long-sighted)

• Myopia (short-sighted)

• Presbyopia

• Refractive errors - Other / type not known

Disorders of eye movement

• Eye movement - Other disorders of / type not known

• Nystagmus

• Strabismus (Squint)

Visual field defects

• Amblyopia

• Cortical blindness

• Diplopia (double vision)

• Hemianopia

• Quadrantanopia

• Scotoma

• Tunnel vision

• Visual field defects - Other / type not known