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  • County by County: Prevalence of VA Loss or Blindness

    By Jean Shaw
    Selected and reviewed by Neil M. Bressler, MD, and Deputy Editors
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    Journal Highlights

    JAMA Ophthalmology, August 2022

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    Lundeen et al. set out to produce county-level assessments of the prev­alence of VA loss or blindness in the United States. They found considerable geographic variation and a positive correlation with the poverty level of individual counties.

    For this study, the researchers used data from five population-based studies to calculate the combined prevalence of VA loss (defined as BCVA of 20/40 or worse in the better-seeing eye) or blindness (BCVA of 20/200 or worse in the better-seeing eye). They used inte­grative systems modeling to generate composite county-level prevalence es­timates and calculated the linear trend between these estimates and the level of poverty in each county.

    Crude prevalence rates of VA loss or blindness ranged from .75% in Doug­las County, Colorado, to 13.16% in Kalawao County, Hawaii. Standardized prevalence rates ranged from .99% in Cumberland County, Maine, to 10.88% in Clay County, Kentucky. County-level standardized prevalence rates were pos­itively correlated with the percentage of the county’s population living below the federal poverty level (r, .40).

    The authors note that these data can be used to guide interventions to improve care in underserved areas, as counties with a higher level of VA loss and blindness may have less access to and use of eye care services.

    The original article can be found here.