Members

1

• Vision and eye health problems are the second most prevalent and chronic health care issue in the United States, affecting more than 120 million people.

2

• Approximately 61 percent of Americans—about 172 million people—require some form of vision correction.

3

• Nearly one in four American school-age children wears eyeglasses.

4

• About 10 percent of American children younger than age 12 need vision correction.

5

• According to a study conducted by Prevent Blindness America, about 11.5 percent of U.S. high school students (1.6 million) may have undiagnosed or untreated vision problems.

6

• A Georgetown University Medical Center Study concluded that approximately 1,000,000 new blindness cases each year are curable or preventable through detection and treatment, leading to an estimated annual savings to the federal budget of over $1 billion.

7

• Cataracts are the primary reason for self-reported vision impairment and the third leading cause of preventable blindness in the United States.