Sleep disorders in children with blindness

To evaluate the frequency and type of sleep disorders seen in blind children compared with matched controls, a 42-item questionnaire was used on 156 children (77 blind children) ranging from 3 to 18 years of age. A total of 17.4% of blind children reported sleeping less than 7 hours per night on weekdays compared with 2.6% of controls, with blind children awakening much earlier. Blind children had more sleep complaints, and 13.4% of blind subjects had daily episodes of involuntary sleepiness compared with 1.3% of controls. Blindness has an impact on sleep and alertness that adds to the primary disability.