Disparities in vision impairment among adults in the United States.
BACKGROUND
This study aimed to determine the prevalence and severity of vision impairment by race in the United States by analyzing the population-based prevalence of corrected distance visual acuities in non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanics, and African Americans.


METHODS
This is a nationally representative, population-based, cross-sectional study. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2002 were analyzed to investigate the epidemiologic features of corrected distance visual acuities among non-Hispanic Whites (n = 3034), Hispanic Americans (n = 1532), and African Americans (n = 1183) aged 18-85 years.


RESULTS
Prevalence rates of overall impairment were 5.0%, 2.1%, and 1.6% for non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanic Americans, and African Americans, respectively (P = .1015).


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of vision impairment based on corrected distance visual acuity is higher in non-Hispanic Whites than in Hispanic and African Americans. The magnitude of this racial difference is not statistically significant and is less than that of previous studies that were based on comparisons of uncorrected visual acuities.
Wilson
Carmen J
CJ
Clinical Research Center, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. cwilson@msm.edu
Rust
George
G
Levine
Robert
R
Alema-Mensah
Ernest
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology*; D014792:Visual Acuity; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data