Poor Southerners Have the Highest Incident of Poor Eyesights, Says CDC

"Health officials say bad eyesight in the U.S. is most common in the South. A new report found the South was home to three-quarters of the U.S. counties with the highest prevalence of severe vision loss," goes an Associated Press report in the Augusta Chronicle. "The South also has higher rates of poverty, diabetes and chronic disease. Health officials believe those problems are all related to the vision loss. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the report Thursday. Overall, about 3 percent of people had severe vision loss. The highest rate was from Owsley County, Kentucky, which surpassed 18 percent. The study is the CDC’s first county-level assessment of blindness and severe vision loss. It’s based on millions of U.S. Census Bureau survey responses from 2009 through 2013." Read more.

In the report entitled Geographic Disparity of Severe Vision Loss — United States, 2009–2013, the CDC reports that "vision loss and blindness are among the top 10 disabilities in the United States, causing substantial social, economic, and psychological effects, including increased morbidity, increased mortality, and decreased quality of life. CDC analyzed data from the American Community Survey to estimate county level prevalence of severe vision loss in the United States and to describe its geographic pattern and its association with poverty level." Get a copy of the report at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/.

CDC Will Launch Campaign Targeted at Young Adult Contact Lens Wearers

According to Vision of the Industry, the National Academy of Opticianry magazine, "in November, 2014, the CDC will launch a 5-day campaign targeted to young adult contact lens wearers 18-22 years old and to eye care providers. This is a broad outreach campaign that will focus on dissemination of healthy contact lens wear and care information and materials. The CDC will engage with media, social media, and both CDC and partner communication channels and networks to disseminate messages and content." The CDC has partnered with professional organizations to begin a new healthy contact lens awareness effort. As part of that effort, free infographics are currently available through the CDC. Read the article.