How many middle aged and older adults report some form of vision problem?
• One in six Americans (17%), 45 years of age or older, representing 16.5 million middle-aged and older adults, report some form of vision impairment even when wearing glasses or contact lenses (The Lighthouse Inc., 1995). • The prevalence of self-reported vision impairment increases with age. The following report some form of vision impairment: 15% (9.3 million) Americans ages 45-64 years; 17% (3.1 million) ages 65-74 years and 26% (4.3 million) age 75 years and older (The Lighthouse Inc., 1995). • Among persons age 65 and older, 21% report some form of vision impairment (The Lighthouse Inc., 1995). Based on 2000 population estimates, this represents 7.3 million persons. • The vast majority of middle-aged and older Americans who report vision impairment are partially sighted rather than totally blind. Only 2% of all Americans age 45 and older report that they are blind in both eyes (The Lighthouse Inc., 1995).
