Cost of Vision Problems Rising Quickly

In a new report called "The Future of Vision, Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems," Prevent Blindness reports that "we find that the prevalence and costs of vision problems are set to grow at an alarming rate, fueled by demographic shifts including the aging of the baby-boomer population, extraordinary increases in the population in the oldest age groups, and the growth of minority populations. By 2050 we project that the prevalence of vision loss will grow by 135%, from 4.4 million to more than 10 million people. The total prevalence of cataract, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and advanced age related macular degeneration is expected to increase by 77% to nearly 70 million adults by 2050. This spectacular growth in the prevalence of vision problems will be evident in their resulting costs, with the total real costs of vision problems expected to increase by 157%, from $145 billion in 2014 to $373 billion by 2050, with total nominal expenditures in 2050 exceeding $700 billion." Read more and see charts.