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A Standardized Obstacle Course for Assessment of Visual Function in Ultra Low Vision and Artificial Vision
Published on: February 11, 2014
Disparities in vision impairment among adults in the United States
Carmen J Wilson1, George Rust, Robert Levine
1Clinical Research Center, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. cwilson@msm.edu
Background:
This study aimed to determine the prevalence and severity of vision impairment by race in the United States by analyzing the population-based prevalence of corrected distance visual acuities in non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanics, and African Americans.
Methods:
This is a nationally representative, population-based, cross-sectional study. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2002 were analyzed to investigate the epidemiologic features of corrected distance visual acuities among non-Hispanic Whites (n = 3034), Hispanic Americans (n = 1532), and African Americans (n = 1183) aged 18-85 years.
Results:
Prevalence rates of overall impairment were 5.0%, 2.1%, and 1.6% for non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanic Americans, and African Americans, respectively (P = .1015).
Conclusions:
The prevalence of vision impairment based on corrected distance visual acuity is higher in non-Hispanic Whites than in Hispanic and African Americans. The magnitude of this racial difference is not statistically significant and is less than that of previous studies that were based on comparisons of uncorrected visual acuities.
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