A British study has found that adults with learning disabilities are 10 times more likely than the general United Kingdom population to be blind or have some level of impaired vision. The data is consistent with similar research done in other countries including Denmark and the Netherlands.
The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) asked Lancaster University's Centre for Disability Research to do the research, which concluded that about 579,000 learning-disabled adults and 23,000 children and teens are blind or partially sighted; about 60 per cent of them need glasses.
In response, RNIB and SeeAbility — an organization for those with multiple disabilities including visual impairments — are developing a campaign to raise awareness so that more of those who need help to see receive it.
What's On Tonight for