Vision insurance is a low-cost benefit that almost all people need. Many diseases that threaten your vision can be treated or cured, if detected early. Receiving regular eye examinations from an eye or vision care professional is the single most important preventive step you can take. These exams can even reveal health problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure. If you need convincing, here are some facts about vision, use this fact sheet as a resource as to why you should consider eye care.
- Vision and eye health problems are the second most prevalent and chronic health care problem in the United States, affecting more than 170 million people.
- Approximately 61% of Americans (about 172 million people required some form of vision correction
- Nearly 1 out of 4 American children between the ages of 3-16 wear eyeglasses.
- 10% of American children under the age of 12 need vision correction and some of the most common eye conditions in children include Amblyopia, Strabismus, and Conjunctivitis.
- According to a study conducted by Prevent Blindness America, about 11.5% of the U.S. high school students (1.6 million American teens) may have undiagnosed or untreated vision problems.
- Approximately 1,00,000 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.
- 75% of employees who use a computer will suffer an eye or vision problem. The most common symptoms are eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision and dry or irritated eyes.
- Cataracts are the primary reason for self-reported vision impairment and the third leading cause of preventable blindness in the United States.
- According to the CDC, about 45 million people in the U.S. wear contact lenses, of those more than half are female and the average age to wear contacts is 31 years old.
- According to the most recent survey available, optometrists performed 70% of the 78 million primary eye exams.
- A survey from the Society for Human Resources Management shows 73% of employers now offer some form of vision benefit.
- A recent survey reported that approximately 40 million Americans received vision care benefits via third-party programs.
- More than 16 million Americans have diabetes and diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in adults between the age of 20 and 74. It is estimated that only 40-50% of diabetics are screened annually. Vision plans work to promote routine care and detection of retinopathy.
Sources: