A new report suggests that nearly 14 million people in the US have impaired vision

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Problems with eyesight are common, but most can be corrected by wearing glasses.
Refractive errors - when the eye does not bend the light common in properly - are the most common cause of impaired vision. The problem can lead to loss of accidents, lowered quality of life and depression. Researchers from the National Eye Institute in the USA have carried out a study of eye health within the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) which shows that 6.4 per cent of a sample of 1,190 individuals had visual impairment. Of these, however, the majority could be corrected by glasses or contact lenses.

Population wide, the NHANES study suggests that there are 14 million people with impaired vision of whom 11 million could acheive good visual acuity with refractive correction. The prevalence of visual impairment was greatest among blacks, Hispanics and other ethnic minorities, as well as among the poor, the less well-educated and those lacking private health insurance. The provision of corrective lenses to those with impaired vision should be an important public health priority, the researchers conclude.

Source
Journal of the American Medical Association 10th May 2006 Volume 295 pages 2158-2163

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