Statistics on Eye Problems,
Injuries and Diseases

Blindness and Visual Impairment

Without improvements in preventing and treating eye diseases, the number of blind or visually impaired Americans 40 and older will grow from 3.4 to 5.5 million in 2020. — The Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group, Archives of Ophthalmology, 2004.

Although the National Eye Institute (NEI) estimates that the current annual cost of vision impairment and eye disease to the United States is $68 billion, this number does not fully quantify the impact of direct healthcare costs, lost productivity, reduced independence, diminished quality of life, increased depression and accelerated mortality. — National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research, December 2005.

Cataracts

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide, and the leading cause of vision loss in the United States. — "Improving the Nation's Vision Health: A Coordinated Public Health Approach," Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006.

An estimated 20.5 million Americans of ages 40 and older (17.2 percent) have a cataract in one or both eyes and 6.1 million (5.1 percent) have had cataract surgery. — "Improving The Nation's Vision Health: A Coordinated Public Health Approach," Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006.

By age 80, more than half of all Americans have cataracts. — "Vision Problems in the U.S.: Prevalence of Adult Vision Impairment and Age-Related Eye Disease in America," Prevent Blindness America and National Eye Institute, 2002.

It's estimated that 30.1 million Americans will have cataracts by 2020.— "Improving The Nation's Vision Health: A Coordinated Public Health Approach," Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006.

Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy

Approximately 20.8 million children and adults in the United States (7 percent of the population) have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, 6.2 million diabetics (30 percent) are unaware they have the disease. — American Diabetes Association, 2007.

Type 1 diabetes results from the body's failure to produce insulin, the hormone that "unlocks" the cells of the body, allowing glucose to enter and fuel them. It's estimated that 5-10 percent of Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. — American Diabetes Association, 2007.

The prevalence of diabetes is at least 2 to 4 times higher among non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic/Latino American, native American and Asian/Pacific Islander women than among non-Hispanic white women. — American Diabetes Association, 2007.

Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. There are 54 million Americans who have pre-diabetes, in addition to the 20.8 million with diabetes. — American Diabetes Association, 2007.

Two million adolescents (or 1 in 6 overweight adolescents) aged 12-19 have pre-diabetes. — American Diabetes Association, 2007.

Diabetic retinopathy causes 12,000 to 24,000 new cases of blindness each year, making diabetes the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults 20-74 years of age. — American Diabetes Association, 2007.

An estimated 4.1 million Americans are affected by diabetic retinopathy. Of these, nearly 900,000 are affected by retinopathy that is vision-threatening. — "Improving The Nation's Vision Health: A Coordinated Public Health Approach," Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006.

Early diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy and timely treatment significantly reduce the risk of vision loss; however, as many as 50 percent of diabetic patients are not getting their eyes examined or are diagnosed too late for treatment to be effective. — "Improving The Nation's Vision Health: A Coordinated Public Health Approach," Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006.

Glaucoma

It's estimated that 2.2 million Americans age 40 and older are affected by open-angle glaucoma. — "Improving the Nation's Vision Health: A Coordinated Public Health Approach," Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among African Americans. — "Improving The Nation's Vision Health: A Coordinated Public Health Approach," Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006.

Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of legal blindness for people over 50 in the Western world. About 25-30 million are affected worldwide, and this figure is projected to triple in 25 years. — AMD Alliance International.

AMD is the leading cause of permanent impairment of central vision (used for reading and for seeing road signs) among Americans age 65 and older. — "Improving the Nation's Vision Health: A Coordinated Public Health Approach," Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006.

Approximately 1.8 million Americans age 40 and older have macular degeneration, and an additional 7.3 million are at substantial risk of developing AMD because they have large macular drusen. — "Improving The Nation's Vision Health: A Coordinated Public Health Approach," Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006.

Presbyopia

An estimated 90 million baby boomers in America either have presbyopia or will develop the condition in the next 10 years. — Refractec Inc., April 2004

When asked what type of eyewear they wear themselves for presbyopia, a panel of optometrists over age 40 gave the following preferences:

• 70 percent — eyeglasses with progressive lenses
• 11 percent — monovision contact lenses
• 6 percent — eyeglasses with bifocal lenses
• 6 percent — multifocal contact lenses (soft)
• 4 percent — multifocal contact lenses (gas permeable)
• 3 percent — surgical correction (monovision LASIK)

(Source: "Presbyopia: New Insight Into an Age-Old Problem," Review of Optometry, Dec 15, 2002.)

Uveitis

Each year more than 280,000 people in the United States have problems with uveitis, which is inflammation of the middle layer of the eye and a potentially blinding eye problem. It causes 30,000 new cases of blindness a year and up to 10 percent of all the cases of blindness. It is more common in women and more likely to occur to older people. — from a retrospective study published in Ophthalmology, March 2004

An estimated 175,000 people in the United States and an estimated 800,000 people worldwide are affected by posterior uveitis. — Bausch & Lomb, May 2005

A study of six northern California communities found a prevalence of 115 cases per 100,000 people. — from a Northern California Epidemiology of Uveitis Study published in Ophthalmology, March 2004.

The prevalence of childhood uveitis in North America and Europe is estimated to be about 30 cases per 100,000 people. Among adults, the prevalence is 93 cases per 100,000. — "Uveitis: Serious Cause of Visual Loss in Children," Review of Ophthalmology, April 26, 2005.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), formerly known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, is a chronic arthritis with onset prior to the age of 16 years. In the United States, one in every 1,000 children develops JIA. Of all cases of uveitis, approximately six out of every 100 occur in children, with up to 80 percent of these associated with JIA, making this disease the most commonly identified cause of uveitis in children. — American Uveitis Society.

Eye Exams

In a random sample of Medicare beneficiaries age 65 or older between 1991 and 1999, only 70 to 90 percent of those with glaucoma had yearly eye exams, 65 to 80 percent of those with macular degeneration had them, and 50 to 60 percent of those with diabetes had them. — from a study by Paul P. Lee, MD, JD of Duke University et al., published in Ophthalmology, March 2004

Surveys of U.S. consumers were conducted by VisionWatch over a 12-month period ending March 2006. These results indicate percentages of people undergoing eye exams who were "extremely likely" to return (parentheses show where their last eye exam was conducted):

• 73 percent (independent eye doctor)
• 41 percent (WalMart Vision Center)
• 40 percent (Sears Optical)
• 37 percent (Pearle Vision)
• 36 percent (LensCrafters)

Up to 25 percent of school-age children may have vision problems that can affect learning, but only 14 percent of children receive a comprehensive eye exam before starting school. Nearly 10 million kids have undetected vision problems. — College of Optometrists in Vision Development, August 2004.

Eye Injuries

More than 9,000 fireworks-related injuries are seen each year in emergency rooms, with nearly half being injuries to the head. Almost 30 percent of these are eye injuries, with a quarter leading to permanent loss of vision or even blindness. — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, as reported by the American Academy of Ophthalmology in June 2004

Each business day, more than 2,000 U.S. workers experience job-related eye injuries, with 10 to 20 percent of them disabling because of temporary or permanent vision loss. Ninety percent of the injuries could be prevented with protective eyewear. — Prevent Blindness America, February 2004

In 2000, more than 42,000 eye injuries from sports and recreation were reported in the United States, with more than 70 percent of them involving people younger than age 25. Protective eyewear could reduce the risk of significant eye injury during sports by at least 90 percent. — American Academy of Ophthalmology and American Academy of Pediatrics, March 2004

U.S. emergency rooms reported that eye injuries caused by paintball rose from about 545 in 1998 to more than 1,200 in 2000. It is estimated that more than 40 percent of the injuries occurred in children. — Study by David A. Listman, MD of St. Barnabas Hospital, Bronx, New York, as published in Pediatrics, Jan. 2004

Read our complete guide to eye problems and diseases. Or visit our pages on eye safety and eye nutrition.

More Statistics

[Page updated December 2007]