Project Summary

At least 14 million U.S. adults are blind or have vision impairment (VI), a number projected to double by 2050 as the population ages. Most affected individuals are ≥65 years, and late-life VI is associated with dementia, long-term care placement, and mortality. Yet rigorous, generalizable evidence has been limited by the lack of longitudinal, nationally representative data with objective vision measures in older adults.

This project addresses that gap using newly collected vision data from the NIH-funded National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), an ongoing nationally representative panel of >7,000 adults aged ≥65. Since 2021, NHATS has annually measured distance and near visual acuity and contrast sensitivity.

Aim 1 will generate the first national estimates of VI and blindness incidence, along with updated prevalence estimates. Aim 2 will examine how individual- and neighborhood-level risk factors influence vision health over time, using NHATS data linked to the NIH-funded National Neighborhood Data Archive. Aim 3 will assess the longitudinal impact of VI and blindness on dementia, long-term care placement, and all-cause mortality. A sub-aim will test whether vision and eye health mediate associations between key risk factors and adverse late-life outcomes.

By leveraging longitudinal, objective vision measures in a national sample, this study will fill critical scientific gaps. It is highly responsive to the National Eye Institute’s Strategic Plan priorities to gather current epidemiologic data, study risk factors and healthcare systems, and examine comorbidities. Estimates will be publicly available, and findings will be widely disseminated to improve public health, vision, and well-being in an aging U.S. population.