Sept. 12, 2024 — Prevent Blindness has introduced the Prevent Blindness Children’s Vision Health Map, the first interactive online tool to track geographic disparities in children's vision problems, visual impairment, and blindness. Data for the map was provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System and reported by NORC at the University of Chicago.

A report accompanying the map reveals that more than 600,000 children in the U.S. have uncorrectable visual acuity loss, including over 45,500 who are blind. The new tool provides county- and state-level data to help health care professionals, public health officials, and policymakers better understand children's vision health. The map allows users to filter information by various factors, including vision screening requirements, educational outcomes, and socioeconomic indicators. The aim is to support the development of policies that improve early detection and treatment of vision problems in children.

“As a public health advocacy organization, part of our mission is to make the case for ensuring that vision issues are addressed appropriately, whether through public education or by shaping public policy,” says Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “The new Prevent Blindness Children’s Vision Health Map was created as a resource for professionals and laypeople alike to better understand the breadth of vision problems in the communities in which they live and work, along with the challenges faced in addressing them.”

Additional findings from the report include the following:

• One in 122 U.S. children has uncorrectable vision loss, which includes 1 in 137 children aged 0-11 and 1 in 102 children aged 12-17.
• Girls experience 25% more vision loss than boys.
• Black children have the highest rates of vision loss and blindness, with 1 in 89 Black children living with vision loss and 1 in 1,000 permanently blind.
• The states with the highest prevalence of vision loss among children are Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas, Nevada, and Washington, D.C.
• More than 760,000 children covered by Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance Programs were diagnosed with amblyopia or strabismus in 2019.

The data also supports the Early Detection of Vision Impairments for Children Act (H.R. 8400), which aims to fund schools and health care providers to improve vision screening and follow-up care. The legislation would also establish a national resource center at the CDC to promote research and collaboration in pediatric eye health.

The new map and report are part of Prevent Blindness’s World Sight Day briefing on Sept. 12 in Washington, D.C.

“The new data from the Prevent Blindness Children’s Vision Health Map and report allows us to effectively identify and address the various eye health needs of different populations across the country,” says Donna Fishman, director of the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness. “We look forward to working with stakeholders, public health advocates, and community groups to help ensure our children can enjoy a lifetime of clear and healthy vision.”