Eye disease risk rising among Americans

A new national health survey of 1,200 US citizens conducted for the American Academy of Ophthalmology finds that most Americans are unaware of the risks associated with age-related eye diseases, despite a projected 65% spike in those conditions by the year 2020. The survey indicates that few Americans see themselves truly at risk for eye disease and that populations most at risk for developing eye disease are unaware of the factors that make them susceptible. Overall, most Americans rank blindness and vision loss relatively low on their list of health concerns.

The survey, conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, finds only 11% of Americans perceive themselves at high risk for eye disease. While Americans aged 65 and over are the most at-risk population for eye disease, only 10% believe they are personally at risk and more than a third of those in this age group do not even get annual eye examinations. Another high-risk group, those with a family history of eye disease, knows strikingly little about specific risk factors and is no more likely to get screened than people without a family history of eye disease. Only 15% of all respondents were correctly able to identify half or more factors from a list of risk factors for age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and dry eye presented in the survey.

Age-related eye diseases including cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and macular degeneration are expected to dramatically increase - from 28 million today to 43 million by the year 2020. Left untreated, these can cause serious vision loss and blindness. At the heart of this upsurge lie America's 78 million baby boomers, who will increasingly face the effects of eye diseases as they get older.