Visual impairment (VI)† | Severe visual impairment/blindness (SVI/BL)‡ | |||||||
1984–88, n = 131 | 1989–93, n = 135 | 1994–98, n = 102 | Total, n = 368 | 1984–88, n = 147 | 1989–93, n = 107 | 1994–98, n = 69 | Total, n = 323 | |
n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | |
Additional impairments | ||||||||
Cerebral palsy (CP) without hearing loss | 49 (37.4)* | 40 (29.6)* | 19 (18.6)* | 108 (29.3) | 61 (41.5) | 44 (41.1) | 31 (44.9) | 136 (42.1) |
Hearing loss with or without CP | 3 (2.3) | 9 (6.7) | 4 (3.9) | 16 (4.4) | 8 (5.4) | 9 (8.4) | 6 (8.7) | 23 (7.1) |
Other impairment(s)¶ | 28 (21.4) | 28 (20.7) | 22 (21.6) | 78 (21.2) | 45 (30.6) | 30 (28.1) | 14 (20.3) | 89 (27.6) |
Isolated visual impairment | 51 (38.9)* | 58 (43.0)* | 57 (55.9)* | 166 (45.1) | 33 (22.5) | 24 (22.4) | 18 (26.1) | 75 (23.2) |
Total | 131 (100) | 135 (100) | 102 (100) | 368 (100) | 147 (100) | 107 (100) | 69 (100) | 323 (100) |
*p = 0.01, statistically significant trend.
†VI, visual impairment defined as a corrected visual acuity in the better eye of 6/18 to 6/60; ‡SVI/BL, severe visual impairment/blindness defined as a corrected visual acuity in the better eye of less than 6/60 or no useful vision; ¶includes a range of impairments which affect independent living, such as specific congenital anomalies.