Table 1.
Numbers of working age adults (age 16–64) with severe sight impairment (blindness) in England and Wales: certifications 2009–2010
| ICD-9 codes | Diagnosis | Main cause (% total) | Contributory cause (% total) | Combined (% total) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 362.7 | Hereditary retinal disorders | 354 (20.2) | 29 (6.6) | 383 (20.0) |
| 362/34 000 | Diabetic retinopathy/maculopathy | 253 (14.4) | 56 (12.8) | 309 (16.2) |
| 377.1 | Optic atrophy | 248 (14.1) | 46 (10.5) | 294 (15.4) |
| 365 | Glaucoma | 104 (5.9) | 60 (13.7) | 164 (8.6) |
| 743–760 | Congenital abnormalities of the eye | 89 (5.1) | 32 (7.3) | 121 (6.3) |
| 377.7 | Disorders of the visual cortex | 72 (4.1) | 24 (5.5) | 96 (5.0) |
| 430–438 | Cerebrovascular disease | 56 (3.2) | 21 (4.8) | 77 (4.0) |
| 362.5 | Degeneration of the macula and posterior pole | 52 (3.0) | 14 (3.2) | 66 (3.5) |
| 360.2 | Myopia | 49 (2.8) | 23 (5.2) | 72 (3.8) |
| 370–371 | Corneal disorders | 45 (2.6) | 34 (7.7) | 79 (4.1) |
| – | Multiple pathology | 242 (13.8) | - | - |
| – | Other conditions | 150 (8.5) | 100 (22.8) | 250 (13.1) |
| – | No information on main cause | 42 (2.4) | – | – |
| Total | 1756 | 439* | 1911* |
The ‘Main cause’ column lists the number of certifications with the corresponding diagnosis; the ‘Contributory cause’ column lists the contributory causes in certifications from the ‘Multiple pathology’ and ‘No Information on main cause’ categories.
ICD, the International Classification of Disease.
*Including contributory causes. The total number of contributory causes is greater than the sum of ‘Multiple pathology’ and ‘No information on main cause’ categories because persons can have between one and four contributory causes documented.