WASHINGTON, DC - Members of the House Vision Caucus, Prevent Blindness America, and the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) called for increased patient access to crucial technologies to detect and treat retinal diseases at a Capitol Hill exhibit last week. The exhibit showcased the latest innovations to diagnose and treat the growing number of older Americans with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy and other retinal disorders.

The number of Americans with vision loss is expected to double by 2030 unless more effective prevention and treatment efforts are implemented. The annual cost to the economy associated with adult vision problems in the U.S. is estimated at $51.4 billion, according to a new report by Prevent Blindness America. In addition, the costs of non-eye related medical care for the visually impaired who receive Medicare totaled $2.14 billion in 2003, a recent study in the journal Ophthalmology reported.

"Much of the vision loss associated with aging can be prevented with early detection and treatment," said James Anderson, board president, Prevent Blindness America. "Providing timely access to prevention programs and appropriate vision care is vital to address the growing number of people with or at risk of vision loss."

Recent research has demonstrated that broad patient access to ophthalmic technologies can improve outcomes and provide long-term health care cost savings. "Greater access to vision care can help reduce the projected rise in future health care costs due to the prevalence of age-related eye diseases," said AdvaMed President and CEO Stephen J. Ubl. "Advances in ophthalmic technologies are improving patients' quality of life with clearer vision, fewer complications, greater productivity and convenience."

AMD affects nearly two million older Americans and that number is expected to increase at least 50 percent by 2020 without greater access to prevention and treatment. More than four million Americans over age 40 with diabetes have diabetic retinopathy, and nearly one million more have advanced, vision-threatening signs of the disease.

Overall, an estimated 80 million people in the United States have a potentially blinding eye disease, nearly 3.5 million have low vision, more than one million are legally blind, and 200,000 are more severely visually impaired. For additional information about eye diseases, please visit www.preventblindness.org. For more information on the latest advances in medical technologies, please visit www.advamed.org.

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