The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is offering financial help to Brits with certain eyesight conditions.

Those who are eligible could receive a monthly boost of £437.

There are numerous types of eye conditions which the DWP offers help for. Across the UK, there are around two million people who live with a degenerative eye condition or sight loss.

And by 2050, that figure is expected to double as the country's ageing population continues to grow. In England, two main types of disability benefits are available to people.

One is called Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and that is for people under the station pension age of 66. Benefits for people over that age are called Attendance Allowance.

You could get a weekly payment of either £72.65 for the lower rate or £108.55 for the higher rate during the 2024/25 financial year. There are over 45 eye conditions affecting adults across the country, including:

  • 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)

Below is the list of common health issues affecting eyesight that are being supported through disability. 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)

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

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)

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Visual field defects

  • Amblyopia
  • Cortical blindness
  • Diplopia (double vision)
  • Hemianopia
  • Quadrantanopia
  • Scotoma
  • Tunnel vision
  • Visual field defects - Other / type not known

The amount of Attendance Allowance you get will depend on your circumstances and how your disability or illness affects you. It will not affect your State Pension and you can even claim it if you're still working and earning money.

When you apply for the benefit, you will need to complete a long claim form. Full details of how to get the application form by post or over the phone can be found on the Gov.uk website.