Vision Loss in the U.S. on the Rise, Study Says, Partly Due to Increase in Diabetes

CHICAGO—The prevalence of nonrefractive visual impairment in the U.S. has increased significantly in recent years, which may be partly related to a higher prevalence of diabetes, according to a study in JAMA last week. "It is estimated that more than 14 million individuals in the U.S. aged 12 years and older are visually impaired (<20/40). Of these cases, 11 million are attributable to refractive error. In the U.S., the most common causes of nonrefractive visual impairment are age-related macular degeneration, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and other retinal disorders," according to background information in the article. "Previous studies have shown that visual impairment is common in persons with diabetes. The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes has increased among adults in recent years, rising from 4.9 percent in 1990 to 6.5 percent in 1998, 7.9 percent in 2001, 10.7 percent in 2007, and 11.3 percent in 2010," according to the report.     Read the article on VMail