Vision and Aging

Help raise awareness about eye health among older adults

With the growing number of older adults in the United States, eye disease and vision loss are becoming major public health concerns. There are currently more than 40 million people age 65 and older in the United States, and that number is expected to double by 2050. As people age, their risk increases for eye diseases and conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, dry eye, glaucoma, and low vision.

However, vision loss is not an inevitable part of aging, so it is important to spread the word that if eye diseases are detected and treated early, vision loss can often be prevented. The NEHEP Vision and Aging Program is designed to help you raise awareness about eye health among the older adults you serve. Our educational resources help emphasize important lifestyle factors that impact older adults’ eye health and remind them that:

• Eye diseases often have no early symptoms.
• Everyone age 50 and older should have a regular comprehensive dilated eye examination.
• Early detection, treatment, and follow-up care are important to preventing vision loss and blindness.