DISABILITY ESTIMATES

Impact of Impaired Vision 

Based on findings from the Lighthouse National Survey on Vision Loss, one half of 

all

people with impaired vision age 45 and older report that their vision problem 

interferes to some degree with what they want to do in their daily lives (The 

Lighthouse Inc. 1995).   

Furthermore, the Lighthouse National Survey on Vision Loss also found: 

N 

24% reported that their vision problem causes at least some difficulty  

managing daily household tasks; 

N 

18% reported some difficulty getting to places outside the home because of  

vision problem; 

N 

38% reported at least some interference with their leisure activities. 

Visual impairment has been identified as one of the four most significant contributors to 

lost independence among older Americans  (Alliance for Aging Research, 1999). 

Activity Limitation  

Blindness in both eyes causes activity limitation for 332,000 people and visual impairment 

in both eyes limits 527,000 people (LaPlante & Carlson, 1996, p. 18). 

Considering all the conditions reported to cause activity limitation, vision 

impairment (blindness and low vision) ranks 11th, limiting the activities of 1.3 million 

(LaPlante & Carlson, 1996, p.43). 

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