This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Blind and partially sighted people
31/10/2006
The number of registered blind and partially sighted people in Scotland now stands at 36,996, according to statistics published today.
The Executive carried out a survey of all registered blind and partially sighted people at the end of March 2006. These show that:
- 58 per cent of the total - 21,561 - are people who are registered blind, while 42 per cent - 15,435 - are partially sighted
- Over three quarters are aged 65 and over
- 11,415 or thirty one percent of the total have other disabilities besides their visual impairment, with a quarter being deaf
- almost two-thirds of those registered blind and partially sighted are women. This ratio is largely explained by the greater number of 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.