Stat Tracker
The Latest Data on Vision Problems in the U.S.

• 1.1 million Americans over age 40 are currently blind
• 2.4 million are visually impaired
• It is estimated that blindness and visual impairment cost the federal government more than $4 billion annually in benefits and lost taxable income
• Iowa and North Dakota have the highest prevalence rates of visual impairment, including blindness, at 3.73% and 3.74% respectively
• Alaska has the lowest rate at 1.3%
• The largest majority of states (39 states and D.C.) are within the 2.5% to 3.5% range
• Differences between states are likely due to demographic differences in age, race and/or gender distribution

DIABETIC RETINOPATHY affects more than 5.3 million Americans age 18 and older

• Prior to age 40, it affects Caucasians more frequently than other races; in later years, Hispanics are the most commonly affected by the disease
• Of the 5.3 million Americans who suffer from diabetic retinopathy:

53% are female; 47% are male
74% are Caucasian
10.2% are Hispanic
10.3 are African American

• It is most prevelant in:

Florida
Hawaii
New Mexico
Pennsylvania
West Virginia

AMD is the most common cause of blindness and visual impairment in Americans age 60 and older

• More than 1.6 million Americans age 50 and older have advanced AMD
• Age-specific prevalence rates are initially comparable between races, but advance more significantly for Whites after age 75
• In Blacks, the disease is more prevalent in women until about age 75

CATARACT affects nearly 20.5 million Americans age 40 and older

• By age 80, more than half of all Americans have cataract
• It is estimated that the federal government spends more than $3.4 billion each year treating cataract through the Medicare program

GLAUCOMA affects more than 2.2 million Americans age 40 and older

• Another 2 million do not know they have it
• In the 65 to 69 age group, the prevalence rate for White females is 1.6%; in Black females, the rate is three times higher at 4.8%
• For those age 80 and older, glaucoma affects more than 10% of Black men and Hispanic women
• Glaucoma appears to be more common initially in women, but by age 65, prevalence becomes more comparable between the sexes

About this data: The information for this month's Stat Tracker comes from the fourth edition of the Vision Problems in the U.S. report, developed by the National Eye Institute and Prevent Blindness America. The report was the result of a 2001 consensus meeting involving many of the world's leading ophthalmic epidemiologists. Data were obtained from a systematic review of the major epidemiological studies with the cooperation of their authors. Data were complied and analyzed by epidemiological researchers at Johns Hopkins University.

Support for the Washington, D.C., symposium to release the data was provided by Alcon Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Allergan, Bausch & Lomb and Novartis Ophthalmics.