DWP to pay £407 to anyone with one of these 52 conditions

There are 52 types of eye conditions which the DWP offers help for and those eligible could receive a monthly boost of £407.

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. 

Leading disability charity @scope has warned ministers against any changes to disability payments amid reports PIP could become a victim of government cuts https://t.co/QZ70GIDqAK

— ITV News Politics (@ITVNewsPolitics) August 22, 2023

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.

PIP is made up of two components - a daily living rate and a mobility rate - and you can be entitled to both or just one of these. These are then split again, into the standard rate and the enhanced rate.

As of April 2023, for the daily living rate, you can either get £68.10 or £101.75 a week and for mobility, you can either get £26.90 or £71. If you are eligible for both enhanced rates you can get over £700 every month.

Attendance Allowance is worth £68.10 or £101.75 a week - meaning you could potentially get £407 a month.

The lower rate is awarded to those who need help during the day or at night. The higher rate is for those who need help during the day and at night, or who are terminally ill.

Eye conditions that could make you eligible for disability benefits

Some eye health conditions which could potentially make you eligible to claim a disability benefit include:

• Diseases of conjunctiva, cornea, eyelids and lacrimal apparatus
• Orbital cellulitis
• Keratoconus
• Ptosis
• Herpes zoster - ophthalmic
• Entropion
• Conjunctiva, cornea, eyelids and lacrimal apparatus - Other diseases of / type not known
• Corneal ulceration
• Scleritis
• Keratitis
• Uveitis
• Posterior (choroiditis)
• Anterior Uveitis (iritis)
• Chorioretinal disorders - Other / type not known
• Glaucoma
• Visual injuries to the eyes
• Diseases of the retina and optic nerve
• Optic neuritis
• Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Retina and optic nerve - Other diseases of / type not known
• Retinal detachment
• Macular degeneration
• Retinal vein occlusion
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Optic atrophy
• Retinopathy - Other / type not known
• Hypertensive retinopathy
• Retinal artery occlusion

Benefit sanctions aren't just cruel - they don't work. The UK Government knows this but has decided to inflict double punishment on people by denying critical cost-of-living payments.

Watch this Tory Minister try to defend the indefensible. 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/mLpF75gQMI

— David Linden MP (@DavidLinden) July 6, 2023

• Vitreous disease
• Vitreous disease - Other / type not known
• Vitreous haemorrhage
• Posterior vitreous detachment
• Cataract
• Disorders of eye movement
• Strabismus (Squint)
• Nystagmus
• Eye movement - Other disorders of / type not known
• Refractive errors
• Hypermetropia (long-sighted)
• Astigmatism
• Myopia (short-sighted)
• Refractive errors - Other / type not known
• Presbyopia
• Visual field defects
• Amblyopia
• Hemianopia
• Diplopia (double vision)
• Tunnel vision
• Quadrantanopia
• Cortical blindness
• Visual field defects - Other / type not known
• Scotoma

PIP and Attendance Allowance do not have a set list of medical conditions that will make you eligible. Depending on how your condition affects your day-to-day life is what makes you eligible.

The amount you receive for either benefit also depends on the impact your condition has on you.