Poll: Americans fear blindness more than loss of other senses, favor more research

The poll, conducted by the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (AEVR) of which the Academy is a member, finds Americans across racial and ethnic groups describe losing eyesight as potentially having the greatest impact on their day‐to‐day life, more so than other conditions, including loss of memory, hearing and speech.

A higher percentage of African-Americans (57%) cite this concern compared to non-Hispanic whites (49%), Asians (43%) and Hispanics (38%).

When asked about various possible consequences of vision loss, “quality of life” ranked as the top concern by non‐Hispanic whites (73%) and Asians (68%), while African‐Americans (66%) and Hispanics (63%) ranked “loss of independence” as number one.

Knowledge about specific eye disorders was uneven among populations. More than half of all groups have heard of cataracts and glaucoma but fewer were aware of AMD and diabetic eye disease. Hispanics (35%) and Asians (31%) are more likely to say they have not heard of these conditions compared to 22% of non‐Hispanic whites and African‐Americans.

When told that the federal government spends on average $2.10 per person each year on research to prevent and treat eye and vision disorders research, half of African‐Americans (51%) and Hispanics (50%) said this is not enough followed by non‐Hispanic whites (47%) and Asians (35%). About half of all groups believe that non‐governmental sectors‑industry, patient groups and philanthropies‑should also increase funding for eye and vision research.