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References and Data Sources

AMD Alliance International (1999-2007). Retrieved October 26, 2007 from www.amdalliance.org

Adams, P.F., Hendershot, G.E., & Marano, M.A. (1999). Current estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, 1996. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Statistics, 10 (200).

Data Source: 1996 National Health Interview Survey.

Definition: Blindness in one or both eyes, or any other reported trouble seeing.

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (November 1993). Annual Medicare expenditures for cataract surgery exceed $3 billion. Research Activities, (No. 170, p.4). (AHCPR Publication No. 94-0023).

Data Source: Cataract Patient Outcomes Research team examined the cost and utilization of cataract surgery and associated procedures. Steinberg et al., analyzed claims records of a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries. Study: Steinberg, E.P., Javitt, J.C., Sharkey, P.D., et al. (1993). The content and cost of cataract surgery. Archives of Ophthalmology, 111, pp. 1041-1049.

Alliance for Aging Research (1999). Independence for older Americans: An investment for our nation's future. Washington, DC: Alliance for Aging Research.

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (2007). Preventing hip fractures. Retrieved October 30, 2007, from www.orthoinfo.aaos.org

American Association of Retired Persons (1995). Research Newsletter, 5(6).

Data Source: Mediamark Research, Inc., 1994.

American Foundation for the Blind (2004). Statistics and sources for professionals. Retrieved October 30, 2007, from www.afb.org.

American Printing House for the Blind. (1999). Annual report October 1, 1998-September 30, 1999. Louisville, KY: American Printing House for the Blind.

Data Source: Lists students registered by four major types of programs (by grade and reading media).

Blackorby, J., & Wagner, M. (1996). Longitudinal postschool outcomes of youth with disabilities: Findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study. Exceptional Children, 62, 399-413.

Data Source: The National Longitudinal Transition Study of Special Education Students (NLTS) conducted during the 1985-1986 school year. Data on employment was collected from parent/guardian surveys conducted in 1987.

Cataract Management Guideline Panel (Feb. 1993). Cataracts in adults: Management of functional impairment. Clinical Practice Guideline, Number 4, Rockville, MD. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Service, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. AHCPR Pub. No. 93-0542.

Sources of Data:
1. Framingham Eye Study (1973-1975). Definition: lens opacities accompanied by visual acuity of 20/30 or worse.

The following source is cited:
Kahn, H.A., Leibowitz, H.M., Ganley, J.P., Kini, M.M., Colton, T., Nickerson, R.S., & Dawber, T.R. The Framingham Eye Study. I. Outline and major prevalence findings. American Journal of Epidemiology, 106, 17-32.

2. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Definition: opacities accompanied by visual acuity of 20/25 or worse.

The following source is cited:
Leske, M.C. & Sperduto, R.D. (1983). The epidemiology of senile cataracts: A review. American Journal of Epidemiology, 118, 152-165.

Chiang, Y.P., Bassi, L.J., & Javitt, J.C. (1992). Federal budgetary costs of blindness. Milbank Quarterly, 70 (2), p. 319-340.

Data Source: Prevalence rates of bilateral legal blindness among the U.S. adult population age 45 and over are from Tielsch et al. (1990) (see reference below).

The rate among persons age 44 and under are based on Model Reporting Area (MRA) (US dept. of Health, Education & Welfare, 1973) statistics with a 100% augmentation, with belief that the MRA statistics underestimate the prevalence rate of blindness by as much as 50%.

Demographics Update (1995a). Visual impairment, employment, and computer use. Part Two of the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 89 (11).

Data Source: Findings from a study conducted by the American Foundation for the Blind (1991), "Issues and strategies toward improving employment of blind or visually impaired persons in Illinois", applied to national demographic estimates.

Demographics Update (1995b). Alternate estimates of the number of guide dog users. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 89, 4.

Data Source: Barnes, B. & Barnes, T. (1994). A Guide to Guide Dog Schools, (2nd ed.).

The Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group (2004a). Prevalence of Cataract and Pseudophakia/Aphakia among adults it the United States. Archives of Ophthalmology, 122, 487-494.

The Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group (2004). Prevalence of open-angle glaucoma among adults in the United States. Archives of Ophthalmology, 122, 532-538.

The Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group (2004). The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy among adults in the United States. Archives of Ophthalmology, 122, 552-563.

The Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group (2004). The prevalence of age-related macular degeneration in the United States. Archives of Ophthalmology, 122, 564-572.

Felson, D.T., Anderson, J.J., Hannan, M.T., Milton, R.C., Wilson, P.W., & Kiel, D.P. (1989). Impaired vision and hip fracture, The Framingham Study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 37, (6), 495-500.

Foundation Fighting Blindness (2004). November 1, 2007 from www.blindness.org/content.asp?id=45.

Gabrel, S. (2000). Characteristics of elderly nursing home current residents and discharges: Data from the 1997 National Nursing Home Survey. Advance Data, (No. 312).

Data Source: 1997 National Nursing Home Survey. Data collected from interviews conducted with facility staff most familiar with the care provided to the resident.

Gallant, J.E., Moore, R.D., Richman, D.D., Keruly, J., Chaisson, R.E., & the Zidovudine Epidemioloogy Study Group (1992). Incidence and natural history of cytomegalovirus disease in patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus disease treated with zidovudine. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 166, 1223-1227.

Gilbert, C. & Foster, A. (2001). Childhood blindness in the context of Vision 2020: The Right to Sight.  Retrieved December 1, 2004, from www.scielosp.org.

Hack, M., Klein, N.K., & Taylor, G.H. (1995). Long-term developmental outcomes of low birth weight infants. In Richard E. Behrman The Future of Children: Low Birth Weight. Los Altos, CA: Center for the Future of Children, The David and Lucille Packard Foundation.

Henderson, C. (1999). 1999 College freshman with disabilities: A biennial statistical profile. Washington, DC.: American Council on Education.

Data Source: Survey of college freshmen enrolled full-time in the fall of 1998. Responses were tabulated from 275,811 students attending a cross section of 469 universities and colleges. Responses were weighted to reflect the national cohort of freshmen in 1998. Respondents were asked the following: "Do you have a disability? (mark all that apply)"....partially sighted or blind.

Horowitz, A., Balistreri, E., Stuen, C., & Fangmeier, R. (1995). Visual impairment and rehabilitation needs of nursing home residents. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 89 (1), 7-15.

Data Source: Study of residents in a Staten Island, NY nursing home. Findings indicated that 52% of the sample were categorized as moderately to severely impaired (best corrected distance acuities between 20/70 and totally blind).

International Diabetes Federation (2007).  International Diabetes Federation's World Diabetes Day 2002 focuses on eye complications (press release). Retrieved November 1, 2008 from www.idf.org.

Jabs, D.A., Davis, C.L., & Mowyer, R. (1992). Mortality in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome treated with either foscarnet or ganciclovir for cytomegalovirus retinitis. New England Journal of Medicine, 326, 213-220.

Kaye, H.S. (1997). Education of children with disabilities. Disability Statistics Abstract, (No. 19). U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research .

Data Source: Administrative data from the U.S. Department of Education, 1993-94 school year.

LaPlante, M., & Carlson, D. (1996). Disability in the United States: Prevalence and causes, 1992. Disability Statistics Report, (7). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

Data Source: National Health Interview Survey, 1992.

Lethbridge-Cejku, M., Rose, D., & Vickerie, J. (2006).  Summary health statistics for U.S. adults:  National Health Interview Survey, 2004.  National Center for Health Statistics.  Vital Health Stat 10(228).

The Lighthouse Inc. (1995). The Lighthouse National Survey on Vision Loss: The Experience, Attitudes, and Knowledge of Middle-Aged and Older Americans. New York: The Lighthouse Inc.

Data Source: National Survey of persons 45 years of age and older conducted in 1994.

Marx, M.S., Feldman, R.C., Werner, P., & Cohen-Mansfield, J. (1994). The eye disorders of residents of a nursing home. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 88 (5), 558-562.

Data Source: Study at a suburban long-term facility found that 128 out of 282 (45.4%) residents had low vision.

McNeil, J.M (1993). Americans with Disabilities: 1991-92. Current Population Reports, (Report No. P70-33). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Data Source: A combined sample from the 1991 and 1992 panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP).

McNeil, J.M. (2001). Americans with disabilities: 1997. Current Population Reports (Report No. P70-73). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Data Source: 1997 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP).

Morse, A.R., O'Connell, W., Joseph, J., & Finkelstein, H. (1988). Assessing vision in nursing home residents. Journal of Vision Rehabilitation, 2(3): 5-14.

Data Source: Screening at a New York nursing home, indicated 21% met criteria for low vision referral.

National Advisory Eye Council (1993). Vision research - A national plan: 1994-1998. (NIH Publication No. 95-3186). Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health.

National Advisory Eye Council (1998). Vision research - A national plan: 1999-2003. (NIH Publication No. 98-4120). Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health.

National Eye Institute (2006). U.S. Latinos have high rates of eye disease and visual impairment. Retrieved October 30, 2007 from www.nei.nih.gov.

National Society to Prevent Blindness (Prevent Blindness America) (1980). Vision Problems in the U.S. (A statistical analyses prepared by the Operational Research Dept.).

Data Source: Estimates based on unpublished Model Reporting register data as of Dec. 1970. The rates are based on population estimates as of July 1, 1978.

Prevent Blindness America (1994). Vision Problems in the U.S. Schaumburg, IL: Prevent Blindness America.

Prevent Blindness America (2002). Vision Problems in the U.S. Schaumburg, IL: Prevent Blindness America.

Prevent Blindness America (2007). The economic impact of vision problems: The toll of major adult eye disorders, visual impairment and blindness on the U.S. economy. Chicago, IL: Prevent Blindness America.

Prevent Blindness America (2007). The economic impact of vision problems: The toll of major adult eye disorders, visual impairment and blindness on the U.S. economy. Chicago, IL: Prevent Blindness America.

Data Source:
Data was obtained from a review of the major epidemiological studies. Document can be found at: www.preventblindness.org.

Estimates for glaucoma include only cases of primary open-angle glaucoma that had clear signs of nerve head damage and/or reproducible visual field loss (definite open angle glaucoma, (p.30).

Prevent Blindness America (2004). Retrieved October 30,2007, from www.preventblindness.org.

Quigly, H.A. (1996). Number of people with glaucoma worldwide. British Journal of Ophthalmology, 80, 389-393.

Rodriguez, J. (2002). Causes of blindness and visual impairment in a population-based Sample of U.S. Hispanics. Ophthalmology, 109, 737-743.

Russell, J.N., Hendershot, G.E., LeClere, F., & Howie, L.J. (1997). Trends and differential use of assistive technology devices: United States, 1994. Advance Data from Vital and Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Center for Health Statistics 292, (November 13), 1-10.

Data Source: Proyecto VER (Vision, Evaluation, and Research Project) - a comprehensive study of vision loss and blindness among U.S. Hispanics. The study included a random sample of 4,774 Hispanic Southern Arizona residents, of Mexican descent age 40 and older.

Schmeidler, E., & Halfmann, D. (1998a). Race and ethnicity of persons with visual impairments; education of children with disabilities; and living arrangements of older Americans. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 92, 539-540.

Data Source: 1991-92 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP).

Schmeidler, E., & Halfmann, D. (1998b). Distribution of people with visual impairment by community type, prevalence of disability, and growth of the older population. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 92, 380.

Data Source: 1994 National Health Interview Survey on Disability (NHIS-D).

Steinkuller, P.G., Du, L., Gilbert, C., Foster, A., Collins, M.L., & Coats, D.K. (1999). Childhood blindness. Journal of AAPOS, 3, 26-32.

Steinmetz, E. (2006). Americans with disabilities: 2002. Current Population Reports (Report No. P70-107). Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau.

Thylefors, B., Négrel, A.-D., Pararajasegaram, R., & Dadzie, K.Y. (1995). Global data on blindness. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 73, 115-121.

Data Source: Estimates of blindness in 1990. The WHO Global Data Bank on Blindness and unpublished information from national sources reviewed for suitability for inclusion.

Tielsch, J.M., Sommer, A., Witt, K., Katz, J., & Royall, R.M. (1990). Blindness and visual impairment in an American urban population: The Baltimore Eye Survey. Archives of Ophthalmology, 108, 286-90.

Data Source: The Baltimore Eye Survey. Projections of the number of people blind and visually impaired on a national level were made by applying the observed age-specific rates to the estimated 1985 national census figures.

United States Department of Commerce (2000). Falling through the net: Toward digital inclusion. A report on Americans' access to technology tools. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Commerce.

Data Source: Survey of Income and Program Participation, August - November 1999. Data collected among persons age 16 and older.
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Data Source: 40 state eye injury registries sponsored by state societies. Using standardized report forms, serious eye injuries, "resulting in permanent and significant structural or functional change to the eye" are reported to state registries by ophthalmologists, hospitals, and medical records personnel.

U.S. Census Bureau (n.d.). American Factfinder. Retrieved October 25, 2007.

U.S. Department of Education, (1999). Twenty-first annual report to Congress on the implementation of the individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Washington, DC.: General Government Printing Office.

Data Source: State reported data to the Office of Special Education Programs on the number of children and youth with disabilities served under Part B of IDEA.

Vision 2020 (2000). Introducing Vision 2020: The Right to Sight. Retrieved August 12, 2004, from www.v2020.org.

Vision 2020 (n.d.). Vision 2020: Developing an action plan. Retrieved October 27, 2007, from www.v2020.org.

World Health Organization (2006).Causes of blindness and visual impairment. Retrieved October 30, 2007 from

www.who.int/blindness/causes/en/

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