Table 1

Numbers of working age adults (age 16–64) with severe sight impairment (blindness) in England and Wales: certifications 2009–2010

ICD-9 codesDiagnosisMain cause (% total)Contributory cause (% total)Combined (% total)
362.7Hereditary retinal disorders354 (20.2)29 (6.6)383 (20.0)
362/34 000Diabetic retinopathy/maculopathy253 (14.4)56 (12.8)309 (16.2)
377.1Optic atrophy248 (14.1)46 (10.5)294 (15.4)
365Glaucoma104 (5.9)60 (13.7)164 (8.6)
743–760Congenital abnormalities of the eye89 (5.1)32 (7.3)121 (6.3)
377.7Disorders of the visual cortex72 (4.1)24 (5.5)96 (5.0)
430–438Cerebrovascular disease56 (3.2)21 (4.8)77 (4.0)
362.5Degeneration of the macula and posterior pole52 (3.0)14 (3.2)66 (3.5)
360.2Myopia49 (2.8)23 (5.2)72 (3.8)
370–371Corneal disorders45 (2.6)34 (7.7)79 (4.1)
Multiple pathology242 (13.8)--
Other conditions150 (8.5)100 (22.8)250 (13.1)
No information on main cause42 (2.4)
Total1756439*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.