Covid-related deaths higher among visually impaired

Data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed higher mortality rates among people with vision impairment compared to people without sight loss during Covid-19.

The biggest differences in Covid-19-related mortality rates were found in people aged 30 to 69 years, whereby rates for people with either a hearing, vision, or dual-sensory impairment were respectively 4.0, 8.4 and 11.7 times higher than the comparison group. Mortality rates were 1.3, 1.4 and 1.4 times higher when adjusted for age, residence type, geography, socio-demographics, health and vaccination status.

David Clarke, chief operating officer at the RNIB, said: ‘The Government must urgently improve its understanding of the effects of sensory loss and account for this in policy-making across the board. It is simply unacceptable and appalling to see these additional challenges faced by people with sight loss reflected in mortality figures.’