The UK’s overall rate of new eye infections is twice that of the rest of Europe and has increased by almost one in ten people in the last five years, a new survey has found.
The figures, released by the charity Eye Care UK (ECUK), show that more than a third of people have had a new eye infection in the past five years and more than one in four people in England have had one.
People in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are also more likely to have been infected than other parts of the UK.
The survey, published by the UK’s National Eye Hospital Trust, also found that in 2017, the majority of people in Scotland had been infected with the eye virus coronavirus.
The most common infections are dry eye and contact lens disease, while the infection rate for children is higher than that of adults.
The report also found a higher rate of skin infections among people in London, while a higher incidence of eye and skin cancers is seen in the Midlands and south-east of England.
The majority of eye cases occur in children under five and are more common in older people.
The charity also highlighted the fact that people in south-west England, where the most eye infections are reported, are the most likely to live in poverty.
The report highlighted the importance of wearing protective glasses and goggles when working and travelling, and the importance for people to wear masks when at home. “
The NHS and local councils are working hard to improve the safety of our patients and to address the need for more resources to prevent and manage outbreaks.”
The report highlighted the importance of wearing protective glasses and goggles when working and travelling, and the importance for people to wear masks when at home.
It also highlighted that the number of people living with a newly diagnosed eye infection has more than doubled since 2015.
The eye infection rate is highest in areas of London, where there are more than three times more cases per 100,000 people.
In London, the rate is almost three times higher than in the rest, while in the south-eastern city of Bradford, where eye infections were seen in two out of every five people, the number is just one in every six people.