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5/9/06 Department of Health and Human Services NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
NIH News. National Eye Institute (NEI) http://www.nei.nih.gov/

STUDY FINDS 14 MILLION AMERICANS ARE VISUALLY IMPAIRED

Most People Who Are Visually Impaired Could See Better If They Had the Proper Eyeglasses or Contact Lenses.

A National Institutes of Health (NIH) study has found that although 94 percent of Americans aged 12 and older have good vision, the remaining six percent, or 14 million, are visually impaired. Of these, more than 11 million have uncorrected visual impairment, such as nearsightedness. They need eyeglasses or contact lenses to improve their vision. Teenagers, people with diabetes, Hispanics, and people who are economically disadvantaged have higher rates of visual impairment and can most benefit from corrective lenses. This study is published in the May 10, 2006 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association".

Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., director of the NIH, said, "This is the first national survey on vision since the mid-1970s, and it confirms that uncorrected visual impairment is a major public health problem. The good news is that we now have information on the extent of visual impairment in the United States that will be available to policy- makers as they seek to address health care issues at the local, state, and national levels."

A chart depicting the percentage of those with visual impairment that can be corrected with glasses/contact lenses is available at http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/may2006/images/neichart.jpg.

This study, designed and supported by the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the NIH, was part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, an ongoing survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 15,000 people participated in the survey from 1999 to 2002. They were interviewed in their homes and were invited to undergo a comprehensive health examination in a mobile examination center (MEC). More than 14,000 reported to a MEC, and more than 13,000 completed visual acuity tests.

The study authors made the following recommendations:

-- Health care professionals should talk to their patients about the importance of eye health and encourage them to participate in routine vision screenings and eye examinations.

-- People who already wear eyeglasses or contact lenses should return to their eye care professional for periodic eye examinations.

-- Efforts to increase public awareness about the importance of routine eye examinations should be undertaken, and,

-- Vision screening opportunities for the public should be expanded.