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Facts about vision loss •Almost all blindness in the United States is the result of common eye diseases. Less than 3 percent is the result of injuries. •100 million Americans are visually disabled without corrective lenses (70 million are myopic). 14 million have severe visual conditions not correctable by glasses. •80 million people in the United States alone are afflicted with potentially blinding eye disorders and the majority are visually disabled without glasses. •12 million are handicapped by motor sensory diseases such as amblyopia and strabismus. •11 million experience corneal disorders including herpes and dry eye. •5.5 million have cataracts that obstruct vision. •2.8 million are colorblind. •2.3 million endure visual loss from inflammatory diseases such as uveitis. •1.1 million are legally blind. All statistics
refer to United States
Three thieves of sight Retinal disease,
macular degeneration and glaucoma are among the leading causes
of blindness in the United States. Some statistics: Retinal disease •14 million diabetics are prime targets for blinding disorders. •1.8 million have severe visual impairment from retinal disease. •700,000 diabetics are presently at risk of blindness. •100,000 have retinitis pigmentosa, a family of progressive inherited diseases that cause deterioration of the retina and blindness. •65,000 diabetics each year develop proliferative retinopathy, the most sight-threatening stage. •30,000 working-age Americans with diabetic retinopathy could preserve their vision by having timely laser therapy. •25,000 cases of retinal detachment are treated each year (7,000 suffer irreparable damage) •8,000 new cases of blindness are caused annually by complications of diabetes.
Macular degeneration •21 million Americans (a third of those over age 50) are at risk of developing macular degeneration. •10 million suffer visual loss due to macular degeneration. •200,000 people develop neovascular macular degeneration each year. •104,000 are legally blind from the disease.
Glaucoma •10 million people have above-normal intraocular pressure that may lead to glaucoma. •2.6 million glaucoma-related office visits are made to doctors each year. •2 million are visually impaired by glaucoma; 1 million more have the disease but don’t know it. •120,000 are presently blind from glaucoma. •5,500 become blind each year from the disease. Source: Research to Prevent Blindness |
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vision for vision | The retina | Lessons from the lab | Q & A: Bruce Shields | Facts about vision loss | Explaining glaucoma | A new center for laser surgery | Improving the quality of life for
AIDS patients | 'We
teach patients to see all over again' |
