Mortality and hospital morbidity of working-age blind

Aim: Determine whether blindness in people aged 18-65 years was associated with increased rates of mortality, hospitalisation and length of stay. Methods: A retrospective matched cohort study of legally blind people and normally sighted controls, aged 18-65 years, comparing mortality rates and hospital morbidity records. Results: Together, 419 blind and 419 controls accumulated 12 258 hospital separations over the 11-year study period. The blind had an age-specific mortality rate seven times greater (12/1000 person years) than the general population (1.8/1000 person years) (p