This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Blind and partially-sighted
28/11/2001
The number of registered blind and partially sighted
people in Scotland, now stands at almost 38,500, according
to statistics published today by the Executive.
This total remains around the same as the 2000 level,
with no significant change in registered blind numbers and
the number of registered partially sighted people
increasing very slightly.
The publication Registered Blind and Partially Sighted
Persons, Scotland 2001 - which related to figures for the
year ending 31 March 2001, also shows that:
- 64 per cent of the total - 24,771 - are people who
are registered blind, while 36 per cent - 13,676 - are
partially sighted
- four out of five are aged 65 and over
- 7,731 or 20 per cent of the total have other
disabilities besides their visual impairment, with more
than a third being deaf
- almost two-thirds of those registered blind and
partially sighted are women. This ratio is largely
explained by the greater number of much older women in
the population as a whole. Looking at the under 65 age
group, 54 per cent of those registered are men.
Under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, local
authorities have the power to maintain a register of people
who are blind or partially sighted. However registration is
voluntary and research indicates that less than a third of
eligible people are registered.
Information on the broader field of community care in
Scotland is available in Community Care Statistics
2000.