We have detected that you are using Internet Explorer to visit this website. Internet Explorer is now being phased out by Microsoft. As a result, NHS Digital no longer supports any version of Internet Explorer for our web-based products, as it involves considerable extra effort and expense, which cannot be justified from public funds. Some features on this site will not work. You should use a modern browser such as Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. If you have difficulty installing or accessing a different browser, contact your IT support team.
Registered Blind and Partially Sighted People - Year Ending 31 March 2014, England
National statistics- Publication Date:
- 2 Sep 2014
- Geographic Coverage:
- England
- Geographical Granularity:
- Local Authorities, Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities (CASSRs), Country, Regions
- Date Range:
- 01 Apr 2013 to 31 Mar 2014
Summary
This publication contains detailed statistics on adults and children registered, with councils with social services responsibilities in England, as being blind or partially sighted. The data are compiled from the triennial SSDA 902 return submitted by councils to the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).
People that have a Certificate of Vision Impairment from an ophthalmologist choose whether or not to be included in their local authority's register of blind or partially sighted people; registration is not automatic. Those that register become eligible for certain concessions. This means that not everybody that has been certified as having a vision impairment is recorded on a local authority register. In addition, some local authorities have informed us that there are difficulties in providing some elements of these data. For these reasons the data in this publication cannot be considered as definitive numbers of blind and partially sighted people.
Highlights
- There has been a decrease in the number of people on the register of blind people since the last publication in 2011. The number of people registered as blind fell from 147,800 in 2011 to 143,400 in 2014; a decrease of 4,400 (three per cent). The number of people registered as blind decreased from 156,700 in 2003 to 143,400 in 2014; a reduction of eight per cent.
- For the register of blind people, the age band showing the largest decrease in the numbers of people on the register is ages 75 and over. The number on the register in the 75 and over age band fell from 94,500 in 2011 to 87,900 in 2014; a decrease of 6,600 (seven per cent). For this age band, the number of people registered as blind fell from 105,700 in 2003 to 87,900 in 2014; a decrease of 17 per cent.
- There has been a decrease in the number of people on the register of partially sighted people since the last publication in 2011. The number of people registered as partially sighted fell from 151,000 in 2011 to 147,700 in 2014; a decrease of 3,300 (two per cent). The number of people registered as partially sighted decreased from 155,200 in 2003 to 147,700 in 2014; a decrease of five per cent.
- For the register of partially sighted people, the age band showing the largest decrease in the numbers of people on the register is ages 75 and over. The number on the register in the 75 and over age band fell from 99,100 in 2011 to 94,300 in 2014; a decrease of 4,800 (five per cent). For this age band, the number of people registered as partially sighted fell from 105,500 in 2003 to 94,300 in 2014; a decrease of 11 per cent.
- There has been a decrease in the number of new registrations to the register of blind people since the last publication in 2011. The number of people added to the register of blind people decreased from 9,100 in the year ending 31 March 2011 to 8,900 in the year ending 31 March 2014; a reduction of three per cent.
- There was an increase in the number of new registrations to the register of partially sighted people since the last publication in 2011. The number of people added to the register of partially sighted people increased from 11,900 in the year ending 31 March 2011 to 12,200 in the year ending 31 March 2014; an increase of three per cent.
- For children aged 0-4 there have been increases in the number on the registers of both blind and partially sighted people since the last publication in 2011. The number of children aged 0-4 on the register of blind people increased from 710 in 2011 to 740 in 2014; an increase of three per cent. The number of children aged 0-4 on the register of partially sighted people increased from 540 in 2011 to 630 in 2014; an increase of 17 per cent.
- The number of children aged 5-17 registered as blind fell from 3,700 in 2011 to 3,500 in 2014; a decrease of five per cent. The number registered as partially sighted in the 5-17 age band fell from 4,700 in 2011 to 4,600 in 2014; a decrease of one per cent. For children aged 5-17 the number registered as blind has risen from 3,200 in 2003 to 3,500 in 2014; an increase of 10 per cent. The number registered as partially sighted in the 5-17 age band has risen from 4,200 in 2003 to 4,600 in 2014; an increase of nine per cent.
Resources
Last edited: 23 February 2022 3:20 pm