Women Account for 2/3 of all Blindness and Vision Problems

The statistics are alarming – eye health and women. Women account for two-thirds of all blindness and visual impairment and over 70 percent of legally blind people in the United States are women. That’s why women organized national Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month in April to promote the value of healthy eyesight. Since women, on average, live longer than men, they bear more of a burden on the healthcare system and need special care.

Here are some of the latest facts about women’s eye health:

• Age-related macular degeneration is 50 percent more likely to develop in women than in men by the age of 75. The risk increases around the age of 60 and the lifetime risk for getting AMD for women is 6 percent and only 3 percent for men.
• Diabetes which has reached epidemic proportions affects 17.9 million people nationwide who have been diagnosed and another 5.7 million people who are undiagnosed (CDC). 11 million of those affected are women. Diabetes and can lead to diabetic retinopathy. This disease is now the leading cause of blindness among America’s working-age population.
• Autoimmune diseases that are much more common in women such as diabetes, MS, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis attack the patient’s immune system and cause inflammation and destruction of cells in the tissues they attack, leading to vision problems. Most of the autoimmune diseases are gender-associated and are much more common in women.
• Glaucoma is also more common in women and six to eight times more likely to occur in African Americans and Hispanics.
• Women are much more susceptible to dry eye syndrome as they age. It is estimated that 10-15 percent of middle-aged and older Americans feel some symptoms of dry eye. That means over 20 million people. Again, women are 50 percent more likely to suffer from dry eye than men. This is thought to be due to men having a greater supply of healthy hormones throughout life.

“We have a larger patient population of women for many of the reasons discussed here and the thing to remember is that getting regular check-ups is key, but also leading a healthy lifestyle by eating right, exercising and not smoking plays a large role in overall health. The most important point is that early detection leads to successful treatment and many of these diseases can be successfully treated if caught in time.” said Dr. Lee Peplinski, optometrist with Bennett & Bloom Eye Centers.

For more information about women and vision there is a new web site dedicated to the topic at www.womenseyehealth.org.