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