Adults with Vision Loss

Updated January 2013

Estimates of the number of people experiencing vision loss differ based on the definitions of vision loss used, as well as on the dates the data were collected, populations surveyed, and other features of data sources. Investigators are urged to pay attention to information provided about the data source and information included in the endnotes. The background information is necessary for the accurate interpretation and use of the frequencies.

Data Source

The data source is the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) ¹ ² ³ ⁴ ⁵ ⁶. This survey included self-reported data by a sample of people from the civilian noninstitutionalized population who were 18 years of age and over. The individuals included in these frequencies responded that they have trouble seeing, even when wearing glasses or contact lenses. Respondents were also included in these frequencies who responded that they are blind or unable to see at all. Thus, the following frequencies of U.S. adults with vision loss pertain to individuals who reported that they have trouble seeing as well as to individuals who reported that they are blind or unable to see at all.

Note: AFB uses the term "vision loss", which is the equivalent of the term "vision trouble" on the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 NHIS.

Frequencies of Vision Loss Among Americans 18 Years of Age and Over Listed by Selected Characteristics

2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

2006

Total ⁷	21.2 million
Gender
Male	8.8 million
Female	12.4 million
Age
18-44	6.0 million
45-64	9.0 million
65-74	^*2.6 million
75 and older	3.6 million
Race
1 race⁸	20.9 million
White	17.5 million
Black or African American	2.5 million
American Indian or Alaska Native	^*274,000
Asian	580,000
Hispanic or Latino	2.3 million
Mexican or Mexican American	1.4 million
2 or more races⁹	319,000
Black or African American, White	^*15,000
American Indian or Alaska Native, White	192,000
Education¹⁰
Less than a high school diploma	4.5 million
High school diploma or GED	6.0 million
Some college	5.4 million
Bachelor's degree or higher	3.6 million
Family income
Less than $20,000	5.7 million
$20,000 or more	14.6 million
$20,000-$34,999	3.6 million
$35,000-$54,999	3.6 million
$55,000-$74,999	1.9 million
$75,000 or more	3.3 million
Poverty status¹¹
Poor	2.9 million
Near poor	4.2 million
Not poor	9.9 million
Health insurance coverage
Under 65 years
Private	8.6 million
Medicaid	2.0 million
Other	965,000
Uninsured	3.4 million
Over 65 years
Private	3.5 million
Medicaid and Medicare	604,000
Medicare only	1.6 million
Other	416,000
Uninsured	^*31,000
Marital status
Married	11.3 million
Widowed	2.3 million
Divorced or separated	3.4 million
Never married	3.1 million
Living with a partner	1.1 million
Place of residence¹²
Large metropolitan statistical area (MSA)	9.2 million
Small MSA	7.5 million
Not in a MSA	4.5 million
Region
Northeast	2.9 million
Midwest	5.5 million
South	8.5 million
West	4.3 million
Gender and ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino, male	1.0 million
Hispanic or Latino, female	1.3 million
White, single race, male	6.5 million
White, single race, female	8.9 million
Black or African American, single race, male	834,000
Black or African American, single race, female	1.6 million

* Estimates preceded by an asterisk have a relative standard error of greater than 30% and less than or equal to 50% and should be used with caution as they do not meet the standards of reliability or precision.

2007

Total ⁷	22.4 million
Gender
Male	9.1 million
Female	13.3 million
Age
18-44	7.6 million
45-64	9.3 million
65-74	2.5 million
75 and older	3.0 million
Race
1 race⁸	21.9 million
White	18.4 million
Black or African American	2.6 million
American Indian or Alaska Native	356,000
Asian	569,000
Hispanic or Latino	2.5 million
Mexican or Mexican American	1.5 million
2 or more races⁹	481,000
Black or African American, White	**
American Indian or Alaska Native, White	312,000
Education¹⁰
Less than a high school diploma	4.4 million
High school diploma or GED	6.3 million
Some college	5.6 million
Bachelor's degree or higher	4.0 million
Family income
Less than $35,000	10.3 million
$35,000 or more	10.5 million
$35,000-$49,999	2.7 million
$50,000-$74,999	3.1 million
$75,000-$99,999	1.8million
$100,000 or more	2.9 million
Poverty status¹¹
Poor	3.3 million
Near poor	4.2 million
Not poor	12.2 million
Health insurance coverage
Under 65 years
Private	9.6 million
Medicaid	2.2 million
Other	1.1 million
Uninsured	3.8 million
Over 65 years
Private	3.0 million
Medicaid and Medicare	559,000
Medicare only	1.5 million
Other	422,000
Uninsured	^*36,000
Marital status
Married	11.5 million
Widowed	2.6 million
Divorced or separated	3.3 million
Never married	3.2 million
Living with a partner	1.8 million
Place of residence¹²
Large metropolitan statistical area (MSA)	9.8 million
Small MSA	8.0 million
Not in a MSA	4.7 million
Region
Northeast	3.2 million
Midwest	5.6 million
South	8.3 million
West	5.2 million
Gender and ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino, male	1.1 million
Hispanic or Latino, female	1.4 million
White, single race, male	6.5 million
White, single race, female	9.6 million
Black or African American, single race, male	904,000
Black or African American, single race, female	1.6 million

* Estimates with a relative standard error of greater than 50% are replaced with a double asterisk and are not shown.

2008

Total ⁷	25.2 million
Gender
Male	10.1 million
Female	15.1 million
Age
18-44	8.0 million
45-64	10.7 million
65-74	2.8 million
75 and older	3.7 million
Race
1 race⁸	24.7 million
White	20.5 million
Black or African American	3.0 million
American Indian or Alaska Native	265,000
Asian	886,000
Hispanic or Latino	2.8 million
Mexican or Mexican American	1.6 million
2 or more races⁹	419,000
Black or African American, White	**
American Indian or Alaska Native, White	297,000
Education¹⁰
Less than a high school diploma	5.0 million
High school diploma or GED	6.3 million
Some college	6.5 million
Bachelor's degree or higher	4.8 million
Family income
Less than $35,000	10.4 million
$35,000 or more	13.1 million
$35,000-$49,999	4.2 million
$50,000-$74,999	3.6 million
$75,000-$99,999	2.1 million
$100,000 or more	3.2 million
Poverty status¹¹
Poor	3.8 million
Near poor	4.7 million
Not poor	13.9 million
Health insurance coverage
Under 65 years
Private	10.8 million
Medicaid	2.7 million
Other	1.3 million
Uninsured	3.7 million
Over 65 years
Private	3.5 million
Medicaid and Medicare	806,000
Medicare only	1.7 million
Other	464,000
Uninsured	**
Marital status
Married	12.6 million
Widowed	2.7 million
Divorced or separated	4.2 million
Never married	4.0 million
Living with a partner	1.6 million
Place of residence¹²
Large metropolitan statistical area (MSA)	11.2 million
Small MSA	8.8 million
Not in a MSA	5.2 million
Region
Northeast	3.8 million
Midwest	5.9 million
South	10.2 million
West	5.2 million
Gender and ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino, male	1.2 million
Hispanic or Latino, female	1.6 million
White, single race, male	7.4 million
White, single race, female	10.7 million
Black or African American, single race, male	1.1 million
Black or African American, single race, female	1.8 million

* Estimates with a relative standard error of greater than 50% are replaced with a double asterisk and are not shown.

2009

Total ⁷	19.4 million
Gender
Male	8.0 million
Female	11.4 million
Age
18-44	5.9 million
45-64	8.6 million
65-74	2.1 million
75 and older	2.8 million
Race
1 race⁸	19.0 million
White	15.4 million
Black or African American	2.8 million
American Indian or Alaska Native	221,000
Asian	552,000
Hispanic or Latino	2.4 million
Mexican or Mexican American	1.4 million
2 or more races⁹	437,000
Black or African American, White	**
American Indian or Alaska Native, White	242,000
Education¹⁰
Less than a high school diploma	4.0 million
High school diploma or GED	5.3 million
Some college	5.4 million
Bachelor's degree or higher	3.2 million
Family income
Less than $35,000	8.5 million
$35,000 or more	9.9 million
$35,000-$49,999	3.1 million
$50,000-$74,999	2.9 million
$75,000-$99,999	1.7 million
$100,000 or more	2.2 million
Poverty status¹¹
Poor	3.5 million
Near poor	4.0 million
Not poor	10.1 million
Health insurance coverage
Under 65 years
Private	7.1 million
Medicaid	2.5 million
Other	1.3 million
Uninsured	3.5 million
Over 65 years
Private	2.6 million
Medicaid and Medicare	530,000
Medicare only	1.4 million
Other	396,000
Uninsured	**
Marital status
Married	9.4 million
Widowed	2.4 million
Divorced or separated	2.9 million
Never married	3.1 million
Living with a partner	1.6 million
Place of residence¹²
Large metropolitan statistical area (MSA)	9.0 million
Small MSA	6.8 million
Not in a MSA	3.7 million
Region
Northeast	3.1 million
Midwest	4.7 million
South	7.3 million
West	4.5 million
Gender and ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino, male	1.1 million
Hispanic or Latino, female	1.2 million
White, single race, male	5.5 million
White, single race, female	7.8 million
Black or African American, single race, male	847,000
Black or African American, single race, female	1.9 million

* Estimates with a relative standard error of greater than 50% are replaced with a double asterisk and are not shown.

2010

Total ⁷	21.5 million
Gender
Male	8.8 million
Female	12.7 million
Age
18-44	6.8 million
45-64	9.3 million
65-74	2.6 million
75 and older	2.8 million
Race
1 race⁸	21.2 million
White	17.1 million
Black or African American	3.3 million
American Indian or Alaska Native	242,000
Asian	552,000
Hispanic or Latino	2.6 million
Mexican or Mexican American	1.5 million
2 or more races⁹	348,000
Black or African American, White	**
American Indian or Alaska Native, White	183,000
Education¹⁰
Less than a high school diploma	4.3 million
High school diploma or GED	5.9 million
Some college	5.8 million
Bachelor's degree or higher	3.7 million
Family income
Less than $35,000	10.0 million
$35,000 or more	10.6 million
$35,000-$49,999	3.5 million
$50,000-$74,999	3.1 million
$75,000-$99,999	1.5 million
$100,000 or more	2.4 million
Poverty status¹¹
Poor	4.0 million
Near poor	4.5 million
Not poor	11.2 million
Health insurance coverage
Under 65 years
Private	8.3 million
Medicaid	2.6 million
Other	1.2 million
Uninsured	4.0 million
Over 65 years
Private	2.7 million
Medicaid and Medicare	703,000
Medicare only	1.6 million
Other	357,000
Uninsured	**
Marital status
Married	10.3 million
Widowed	2.4 million
Divorced or separated	3.6 million
Never married	3.7 million
Living with a partner	1.5 million
Place of residence¹²
Large metropolitan statistical area (MSA)	9.7 million
Small MSA	7.3 million
Not in a MSA	4.5 million
Region
Northeast	3.3 million
Midwest	5.0 million
South	8.9 million
West	4.3 million
Gender and ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino, male	1.1 million
Hispanic or Latino, female	1.4 million
White, single race, male	6.0 million
White, single race, female	8.8 million
Black or African American, single race, male	1.3 million
Black or African American, single race, female	1.9 million

* Estimates with a relative standard error of greater than 50% are replaced with a double asterisk and are not shown.

2011

Total ⁷	21.2 million
Gender
Male	8.7 million
Female	12.5 million
Age
18-44	6.1 million
45-64	9.7 million
65-74	2.7 million
75 and older	2.7 million
Race
1 race⁸	20.8 million
White	16.9 million
Black or African American	3.0 million
American Indian or Alaska Native	297,000
Asian	695,000
Hispanic or Latino	2.7 million
Mexican or Mexican American	1.7 million
2 or more races⁹	394,000
Black or African American, White	*55,000
American Indian or Alaska Native, White	215,000
Education¹⁰
Less than a high school diploma	4.3 million
High school diploma or GED	5.8 million
Some college	5.6 million
Bachelor's degree or higher	3.8 million
Family income
Less than $35,000	9.6 million
$35,000 or more	10.6 million
$35,000-$49,999	3.1 million
$50,000-$74,999	3.0 million
$75,000-$99,999	1.5 million
$100,000 or more	2.9 million
Poverty status¹¹
Poor	3.9 million
Near poor	4.4 million
Not poor	11.0 million
Health insurance coverage
Under 65 years
Private	7.7 million
Medicaid	2.8 million
Other	1.3 million
Uninsured	3.9 million
Over 65 years
Private	2.4 million
Medicaid and Medicare	624,000
Medicare only	1.9 million
Other	403,000
Uninsured	*44
Marital status
Married	10.0 million
Widowed	2.4 million
Divorced or separated	3.6 million
Never married	3.4 million
Living with a partner	1.9 million
Place of residence¹²
Large metropolitan statistical area (MSA)	10.3 million
Small MSA	6.8 million
Not in a MSA	4.2 million
Region
Northeast	3.4 million
Midwest	4.8 million
South	8.1 million
West	5.0 million
Gender and ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino, male	1.0 million
Hispanic or Latino, female	1.6 million
White, single race, male	6.0 million
White, single race, female	8.6 million
Black or African American, single race, male	1.2 million
Black or African American, single race, female	1.7 million

* Estimates with a relative standard error of greater than 50% are replaced with a double asterisk and are not shown.

1 Data Source: Pleis J.R., & Lethbridge-Cejku M. (2007). Summary health statistics for U.S. adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2006. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat 10(235).
2 Data Source: Pleis J.R., & Lucas JW. (2009). Summary health statistics for U.S. adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2007. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat 10(240).
3 Data Source: Pleis J.R., & Lucas, J.W. (2009). Provisional Report: Summary health statistics for U.S. adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2008. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat 10(242).
4 Data Source: Pleis, J.R., Ward, B.W., & Lucas, J.W. (2010). Summary health statistics for U.S. adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2009. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat 10(249).
5 Data Source: Schiller, J.S., Lucas J.W., Ward, B.W. & Peregoy, J.A. (2012). Provisional Report: Summary health statistics for U.S. adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2010. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat 10(252).
6 Data source: Schiller, J.S., & Peregoy, J.A. (2012). Provisional Report: Summary health statistics for U.S. adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2011. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat 10(256).
7 Total includes other races not shown separately and persons with unknown education, family income, poverty status, health insurance, and marital status characteristics. Therefore, the frequency for the category "Total" will be greater than the sum of the frequencies for these selected characteristics shown separately.
8 The category "1 race" refers to person who indicated only a single race group. Persons who indicated a single race other than the groups shown were included in the total for "1 race," but not shown separately because of small sample sizes. Therefore, the frequencies for the category "1 race" will be greater than the sum of the frequencies for the specific groups shown separately.
9 The category "2 or more races" refers to all persons who indicated more than one race group. Only two combinations of multiple race groups are shown because of small sample sizes for other combinations. Therefore, the frequencies for the category "2 or more races" will be greater than the sum of the frequencies for the specific combinations shown separately.
10 Education is shown only for persons aged 25 years and over.
11 Poverty status is based on family income and family size using the U.S. Census Bureau's poverty threshold for the previous calendar year. "Poor" persons are defined as below the poverty threshold. "Near poor" persons have incomes of 100% to less than 200% of the poverty threshold. "Not poor" persons have incomes that are 200% of the poverty threshold or greater.
12 Large MSAs have a population size of 1 million or more; small MSAs have a population size of less than 1 million. "Not in MSA" consists of persons not living in a metropolitan statistical area.