Fast Facts about Eyes

Fast Facts

• Approximately 14 million individuals aged 12 years and older have visual impairment, among which more than 80% could be corrected to good vision with refractive correction.
• As of 2004, blindness or low vision affects more than 3.3 million Americans aged 40 years and older; this number is predicted to double by 2030 due to the increasing epidemics of diabetes and other chronic diseases and our rapidly aging U.S. population.
• Approximately 6.8% of children younger than 18 years in the United States have a diagnosed eye and vision condition.
• In 2001, about 2 million Americans sustained eye injuries that required medical attention.
• An estimated 61 million adults in the United States are at high risk for serious vision loss, but only half visited an eye doctor in the past 12 months.
• The annual economic impact of major vision problems among the adult population 40 years and older is more than $51 billion.
• Vision disability is one of the top 10 disabilities among adults 18 years and older and one of the most prevalent disabling conditions among children.
• Early detection and timely treatment of eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy has been found to be efficacious and cost effective.
• The National Commission on Prevention Priorities has identified vision screening among adults aged 65 years and older as one of the top 10 priorities among effective clinical preventive services.
• Vision loss causes a substantial social and economic toll for millions of people including significant suffering, disability, loss of productivity, and diminished quality of life.
• National and state data show that more than half of adult Americans who did not seek eye care are due to lack of awareness or costs; which often exacerbated by lack of adequate health insurance.
• More than 70% of survey respondents from National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) 2005 Public Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices survey consider that the loss of their eyesight would have the greatest impact on their day-to-day life; however, less than 11% knew that there are no early warning signs of glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.