Americans are facing an increasing threat of blindness from age-related eye disease. More than one million Americans over 40 are currently blind and an additional 2.4 million are visually impaired. These numbers are expected to double over the next 30 years as the Baby Boomer generation ages.
The most common age-related vision change is an increasing incidence of near-sightedness or presbyopia. Vision changes affect almost everyone after age 40 to 50. As an individual ages, the lens begins to lose elasticity, which makes it harder to focus during activities such as reading. Nearsightedness can be corrected easily with reading glasses or glasses with bifocal, trifocal or progressive ("no-line") lenses.
Other conditions affecting Americans adult population can be more serious. However, blindness and visual impairment from most eye diseases and disorders can be reduced with early detection and treatment.
According to the National Eye Institute the leading causes of vision impairment and blindness include:
- Diabetic retinopathy — a leading cause of blindness in people between the ages of 25 and 74. Diabetic retinopathy affects more than 5.3 million Americans age 18 and older.
- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) — the most common cause of blindness and vision impairment in Americans aged 60 and older. More than 1.6 million Americans over age 60 have advanced AMD.
- Cataract — the leading cause of blindness in the world. Cataract affects nearly 20.5 million Americans age 65 and older.
- Glaucoma — a chronic disease requiring life-long treatment to control. About 2.2 million Americans have been diagnosed with glaucoma, and another two million do not know they have it.
New London Family Medical Center
Residents of New London and surrounding communities have access to high quality eye care provided by experienced ophthalmologists. New London Family Medical Center has three providers who perform cataract extraction with lens implant, which is one of our most common outpatient surgeries. Our goal is to improve the quality of life for our patients, while providing access to the necessary services all under one roof.
Theda Clark Eye Center
The Theda Clark Eye Center provides treatment for a variety of ophthalmic disorders, including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts and glaucoma.
The ophthalmic surgeons on the Medical Staff at Theda Clark also offer popular vision correction services such as LASIK laser vision correction and Intacs corneal ring implantation. Our state-of-the-art facility was one of the first FDA-approved sites in the nation for LASIK laser vision correction. And we've been performing laser vision correction longer than any other eye center in the Fox Valley.
If you have questions about laser vision correction, turn to the Theda Clark Eye Center for answers. The ophthalmologists who practice at the Theda Clark Eye Center offer free LASIK consultations.