Diseases & Conditions

Cataracts

The main causes of blindness are cataracts, glaucoma and age related macular degeneration.  Cataracts by far account for more blindness than any other eye problem.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can damage the eye’s optic nerve and result in vision loss and blindness. Glaucoma occurs when the normal fluid pressure inside the eyes slowly rises. However, with early treatment, you can often protect your eyes against serious vision loss.

Macular Degeneration

The greatest risk factor is age. Although AMD may occur during middle age, studies show that people over age 60 are clearly at greater risk than other age groups. For instance, a large study found that people in middle-age have about a 2 percent risk of getting AMD, but this risk increased to nearly 30 percent in those over age 75.

Cataract Statistics

  • 5,500,000 people have vision obstructed by cataract.
  • 3,700,000 visits are made to doctors’ offices each year because of cataracts.
  • 1,350,000 cataract extractions are performed each year.
  • 400,000 new cases of cataract develop each year.

Glaucoma Statistics

  • 60 million Americans are at risk for developing glaucoma.
  • 10 million people have above-normal intraocular pressure that may lead to glaucoma.
  • 3 million glaucoma-related office visits are made to doctors each year.
  • 2 million people are visually impaired by glaucoma; 1,000,000 more have the disease but don’t know it.
  • 120,000 people are presently blind from glaucoma.
  • 5,500 people become blind each year from the disease.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

  • 13 million people have signs of macular degeneration.
  • 6,300,000 people are projected to develop AMD in 2030, compared to 1.7 million in 1995.
  • 1,200,000 people are in the later stages of macular degeneration.
  • 230,000 people are blind from macular degeneration.

Source: University of Washington Department of Ophthalmology