eyecare by the numbers

Serving the Hispanic Market

by Karlen McLean, ABOC, NCLC

Hispanic people represent the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population, and recent research shows this group has a low awareness of the need for preventive eyecare.

ECPs can help by understanding the key health issues that have a higher incidence among U.S. Hispanics than in the general U.S. population.

DIABETES

■ 1.3 million, or 10 percent, is the approximate number of adult Hispanics with diabetes.

■ 90 to 95 percent of Hispanics in the United States with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. In the early stages of diabetes, patients often experience blurred vision, and an ECP may be the first health professional to detect diabetes.

HYPERTENSION

■ 28.7 percent of Hispanics have hypertension (high blood pressure). Untreated hypertension can affect eyesight and is a risk factor of glaucoma and hypersensitive retinopathy, which causes blurry vision and eventually blindness if left untreated. An eye doctor can detect hypertension and gauge its severity.

CATARACTS

■ One in five adult Hispanics has cataracts and half of those are visually impaired. Monitoring cataract development through regular visits to an eye doctor can help this population get proper ongoing vision care and plan for cataract surgery when the time is right.

GLAUCOMA

■ Six percent of Hispanics 41 years old and older have glaucoma.

Early diagnosis and treatment are key to preventing permanent vision loss from glaucoma. Hispanics with hypertension are at greater risk.

MACULAR DEGENERATION

■ 10 percent of Hispanics are considered at risk for developing advanced forms of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Cumulative exposure to UV may be linked to the development of AMD, so UV protective lenses and frame styles are important considerations for Hispanic patients. EB

Statistical sources: Centers for Disease Control, American Heart Association