Vision disorders cost U.S. $35B each year

ATLANTA, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Disorders that cause vision loss -- such as age-related macular degeneration -- cost Americans $35 billion each year, says a study.

That's the price tag borne by the U.S. government and society, according to a study conducted by researchers from RTI International and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The researchers found that the annual economic burden of major adult visual disorders tops $35 billion, of which the federal government pays $13.7 billion.

Specifically, these costs break out to more than $16 billion in direct medical costs, $11 billion in costs attributed to nursing-home care and government programs for the blind, while $8 billion represent lost wages.

But these costs do not reflect the less tangible impact including "substantial quality of life losses" associated with visual impairment and blindness, the study authors said.

"Currently, adult visual disorders impose a substantial economic burden on the United States," said lead study author David Rein. "Because the incidence of visual disorders increases with age the economic burden will likely rise in the future as the U.S. population ages."

The CDC-funded study is published in the December issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, the first survey focusing on the costs of major adult visual disorders since 1982.