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Asel Ryskulova, MD, PhD, MPH, Kathleen Turczyn, MPH, Diane M. Makuc, DrPH, Mary Frances Cotch, PhD, Richard J. Klein, MPH and Rosemary Janiszewski, MS

Asel Ryskulova, Kathleen Turczyn, Diane M. Makuc, and Richard J. Klein are with the Office of Analysis and Epidemiology, National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, Md. Mary Frances Cotch and Rosemary Janiszewski are with the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Asel Ryskulova, Office of Analysis and Epidemiology, National Center for Health Statistics, CDC, 3311 Toledo Rd, Room 6309, –Hyattsville, MD 20782 (e-mail: aryskulova{at}cdc.gov).

Objectives. We sought to establish national data on the prevalence of visual impairment, blindness, and selected eye conditions (cataract, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular degeneration) and to characterize these conditions within sociodemographic subgroups.

Methods. Information on self-reported visual impairment and diagnosed eye diseases was collected from 31 044 adults. We calculated weighted prevalence estimates and odds ratios with logistic regression using SUDAAN.

Results. Among noninstitutionalized US adults 18 years and older, the estimated prevalence for visual impairment was 9.3% (19.1 million Americans), including 0.3% (0.7 million) with blindness. Lifetime prevalence of diagnosed diseases was as follows: cataract, 8.6% (17 million); glaucoma, 2.0% (4 million); macular degeneration, 1.1% (2 million); and diabetic retinopathy, 0.7% (1.3 million). The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy among persons with diagnosed diabetes was 9.9%.

Conclusions. We present the most recently available national data on self-reported visual impairment and selected eye diseases in the United States. The results of this study provide a baseline for future public health initiatives relating to visual impairment.