The 2012 report Vision Problems in the U.S., a joint project between Prevent Blindness America and the National Eye Institute, noted that 34 million people have at least 1 D of myopia, 14.2 million have at least 3 D of hyperopia, and 24.4 million have cataracts.
There were 7.7 million cases of diabetic retinopathy, 2.8 million cases of glaucoma, and 2.1 million cases of age-related macular degeneration. 1.3 million Americans are legally blind and 2.9 million have low vision.
While these absolute numbers sound impressive, what’s scary is that since 2000, the rate of diabetic retinopathy has increased 89%, macular degeneration has increased 25%, glaucoma has increased 22% and cataracts have increased 19%. In short, eye disease is on the rise and if this continues we, as a nation, are going to be in serious trouble.
Why the increase? Obviously, some of it is due to the increased numbers of “baby boomers” and the aging of the population, but that alone cannot account for the rise. It is interesting that as American we are more obese, 35.7% of us, and rising. Our diets are not as healthy. Our caloric intake has increased 25% in the last 30 years and our diets are now 50% carbohydrates and 35% fat. As a nation we are more sedentary than before. Half of us do not exercise regularly and almost 30% report not having exercised for 30 minutes in the past week. Notably, obese people exercise less than non-obese people.
What can we do about it? If we are serious about this, lifestyle changes are a must. Losing weight with a balanced diet containing adequate quantities of green, leafy vegetables, exercising at least 3 times a week and stress reduction though lifestyle modification will certainly help. Not smoking is vital. Controlling diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes is very important.
Routine doctor visits are also important. Preventive medicine and finding problems before they cause symptoms are the best ways to control disease. Often in the case of your eyes, once the problem has affected your vision it may be too late. The time to find a problem is before if affects your vision, not afterwards. Annual eye exams for those over 40 should be part of your routine.