Wales Council for the Blind

Statistics

Statistics in Wales:

20,000 of the population are registered blind and partially sighted.
60,000 or more are not registered.
For every one person registered, there are three eligible for registration who are not.
90% of v.i. population are over 65 years old.
75% of v.i. population are over 75 years old.
2,000 plus of the v.i. population are under 16.
47% of adult v.i. population live alone.
75% of v.i. population are unemployed.
3,000 to 4,000 of v.i. population are of working age.
A majority are on a low income, retired and / or on benefits; but there is a slowly growing number of professionals on good incomes.

Preferred Media of v.i. people:

80-85%: Large Print
10-15%: Audio Tape
3-4%: Braille
1%: Moon
5%: I.C.T.

Local authority registers of blind and partially sighted persons at 31 March 2006
Unitary Authority	Blind	Partially sighted	Total
Blaenau Gwent	235	235	470
Bridgend	582	559	1141
Caerphilly	421	408	829
Cardiff	1120	982	2102
Carmarthenshire	618	688	1306
Ceredigion	219	218	437
Conwy	484	607	1091
Denbighshire	434	612	1046
Flintshire	383	335	718
Gwynedd	556	717	1273
Isle of Anglesey	210	317	527
Merthyr Tydfil	194	183	377
Monmouthshire	267	219	486
Neath Port Talbot	477	573	1050
Newport	350	379	729
Pembrokeshire	281	395	676
Powys	386	303	689
Rhondda Cynon Taff	847	730	1577
Swansea	909	1179	2088
The Vale of Glamorgan	371	360	731
Torfaen	333	288	621
Wrexham (31/3/05 figures)	315	588	903
TOTAL (excluding Wrexham)	9677	10287	19964
TOTAL (including Wrexham)	9992	10875	20867

N.B. Local authority registers do not represent the total number of those with serious sight loss as many people never register. It is estimated that for every one person on the register there are probably three or four with serious sight loss who are not. The changes being planned to the current pathway will significantly increase the numbers referred to Social Services and this difference will diminish.