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Evaluation of Non-Medical Costs Associated with Visual Impairment in Four European Countries

France, Italy, Germany and the UK

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Abstract

Introduction

Visual impairment is a severe disability that puts a heavy burden on individuals, families and society. In developed countries, the two major diseases leading to irreversible visual impairment are glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. Their prevalence will increase dramatically with population aging. The economic consequences of visual impairment are considerable, but have rarely been documented, apart from some ‘top-down’ estimates based on national statistics. We estimated the non-medical costs related to visual impairment in four European countries: France, Italy, Germany and the UK.

Methods

Prevalence rates of visual impairment, defined according to local regulations, were taken from national registers and, for France, from two recent nationwide surveys conducted by the French Institute for National Statistics and Economic Studies (Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques [INSEE]). Estimates of the number of non-registered persons were obtained from the literature and expert opinion. Estimates of non-medical costs included institutional care, non-medical devices, residential adaptations, burden on carer, paid home help, loss of income and social allowances related to visual impairment. Unit costs (year 2004) were extracted from national databases and manufacturers. Healthcare professionals were interviewed to estimate the duration of assistance required by visually impaired persons. These durations were used to evaluate the cost of paid assistance at home in the four countries.

Results

The numbers of visually impaired persons were 1.27 million in France, 0.73 million in Germany, 1.03 million in Italy and 1.11 million in the UK, including, respectively, 56%, 11%, 80% and 72% non-registered persons. The frequency of institutionalisation for visually impaired persons were, respectively, 7.8%, 9.6%, 10.9% and 10%. Total annual costs for visually impaired persons were estimated at €10 749 million in France, €9214 million in Germany, €12 069 million in Italy and €15 180 million in the UK. This translated into average annual costs per affected individual of €8434, €12 662, €11 701 and €13 674, respectively. The main cost components of visual impairment in the community were ‘loss of income’ (23–43% of community costs), ‘burden on carer’ (24–39%) and ‘paid assistance’ (13–29%).

Conclusion

Total non-medical costs associated with visual impairment are considerable. The present analysis demonstrates that the preponderant economic consequences of visual impairment lie beyond healthcare systems, and that visual impairment has a considerable negative impact on productivity. Considering the non-medical social dimensions of visual impairment related to the consequent incapacity and dependency should encourage payers to finance health innovations that aim to preserve vision.

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Notes

  1. Expert opinion was sought through an informal process, with at least two experts contacted for each country.

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Acknowledgements

This study was sponsored by an unrestricted grant from Alcon France. Gilles Berdeaux is employed by Alcon France SA. Antoine Brézin has been participating in clinical trials sponsored by Alcon France SA. None of the authors have proprietary or commercial interests related to the manuscript. All the authors participated in the method elaboration, the result validation and the writing of the manuscript. Local data were collected by Viviane Mimaud, Julia Hutchinson, Klaus Hieke and Stefania Lopatriello. Calculations were performed by Viviane Mimaud, Antoine Lafuma and Gilles Berdeaux.

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Lafuma, A., Brézin, A., Lopatriello, S. et al. Evaluation of Non-Medical Costs Associated with Visual Impairment in Four European Countries. Pharmacoeconomics 24, 193–205 (2006). https://doi.org/10.2165/00019053-200624020-00007

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