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costofblindnessorg
QA Document
How many Canadians are affected by blindness or vision loss?
Statistics Canada, in its report entitled, A Profile of Disability in
Canada 2001, identified 610,950 Canadians as havingwith a seeing
disability, defined as difficulty seeing ordinary newsprint seeing
ordinary newsprint or clearly seeing the face of someone from four
metres
However, that was three years ago There are likely hundreds of thousands
more when you consider that the chances of developing an irreversible,
serious loss of vision are one in nine by age 65 - and this figure jumps to
one in four by age 75
How does this compare with the world figures worldwide?
The World Health Organization WHO estimates that there are currently 44
million people in the world who are blind and an estimated 180 million who
are visually impaired So rampant is vision loss, the WHO states, that one
person in the world loses his or her sight every five seconds, and a child
loses his or her sight every minute
Who is at risk?
While there are several factors related to vision loss, such as
lifestyle,
diet, smoking, and family history, seniors are the group most at risk in
Canada The country is experiencing an unprecedented rise in the incidence
of age-related blindness, led by age-related macular degeneration AMD,
with the incidence of eye diseases like such as glaucoma and diabetic
retinopathy also soaring
How does vision loss affect a persons quality of life?
Those who are losing, or have lost their vision, speak of the their loss of
independence in terms ofas they can not longer being able to drive, read,
or see the faces of those around them People who are blind or visually
impaired often must rely on help from their families, friends, and health-
care professionals to carry out daily activities such as shopping,
cleaning, or paying bills
Visually impaired Canadians who are visually impaired are also frustrated
at the lack of information available in alternative formats such as
electronic copy, large print, or braille Just three per cent of printed
material is available in alternative format, making access to information
extremely difficult for people who are blind
What is the leading cause of blindness in Canada?
Age-related macular degeneration AMD is
Canadas leading cause of
blindness, with 78,000 new cases diagnosed in 2003 And tThat figure is
expected to triple over the next 25 years
What is the difference between macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic
retinopathy, and cataracts?
Age-related Macular Degeneration AMD - AMD causes the deterioration of
the macula, which is located in the centre of the retina, resulting in a
gradual or sudden loss of central vision There are two types of AMD: the
dry and wet forms The most common is the dry form, which and it is
associated with the appearance of small deposits called drusen on the
macula called drusen
Wet AMD is characterized by the formation of abnormal blood vessels These
vessels leak fluid and cause scar tissue to form on the macula Although
wet AMD only accounts for approximately 15 per cent of all cases, it is
responsible for 90 per cent of severe vision loss associated with the
disease Wet AMD developsevolves rapidly, and the majority of patients can
lose their central vision within a few weeks to a few months of being
diagnosed
Glaucoma - Glaucoma is caused by increased pressure within the eye One of
the most common causes of blindness, it affects one in 100 Canadians
over
age 40 Although it often occurs in older people, it can develop at any
age People with glaucoma probably lose their sight because increased
pressure in the eye and as well as other factors, such as poor blood
flow, affect the optic nerve at the back of the eye The eye slowly loses
nerve function, and loss of side peripheral vision This occurs
painlessly, even unnoticeably
Diabetic Retinopathy - This is a change in the tiny blood vessels that feed
the retina In the early stages, the blood vessels weaken and leak fluid or
tiny amounts of blood This causes swelling of the retina This is called
non-proliferative or background retinopathy At this stage, you may
have normal vision may be normal, or you may notice that your vision hasit
may be blurred or changed About one in four people with diabetes hasve
some non-proliferative retinopathy
Cataracts — A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, which The
lens is located near the front of the eye The lensIt focuses light on the
retina, at the back of the eye, to form the images we see A cataract may
affect just a small part of the lens, or it may cloud the entire lens
Why is vision loss soaring among Aaboriginal
Ppeople?
A rise in diabetes, leading to diabetic retinopathy is at the root of
increased vision loss among Canadian Aboriginal pPeoples Because of poor
diet, Aboriginals are developing diabetes earlier in life, allowing more
time for complications such as blindness to develop
What is the purpose of The Cost of Blindness: What it means to Canadians?
Top Canadian and international researchers, health-care providers,
insurers, advocacy groups, and health policy makers are gathering to
discuss the financial and social impacts connected to blindness and vision
loss
The goal of the CNIB and Canadas leading vision- care partners is to
establish a body of research that clearly identifies the prevalence of
blindness and vision loss in Canada and what measures can be taken to
reduce these financial and social strains
A related conference was held in 1998 - the National Consultation on the
Crisis in Vision Loss Although the conference resulted in the creation of
the National Coalition for Vision Health, little progress actually
occurred Why do you expect a different outcome with the Cost of Blindness?
The Consultation The Consultation onon the Crisis in Vision Loss, held in
Toronto in
1998, predicted a looming crisis as the number of people who are
blind and or visually impaired people increased and the number of
ophthalmologists declined on a per capita basis In the past six years,
that prediction has become a reality, and both waiting lists and concern
have increasedgrown
What outcomes would the CNIB and its partners like to see as a result of
the Cost of Blindness conference?
Positioning of vision loss on the federal and provincial health- care
agendas
Creation ofe awareness and demand for change among the public
Determination of thee cost/benefit implications of health,
rehabilitation, and research programs
Change in social policy, specifically providing access to both vision
rehabilitation and reimbursement for treatment for age-related
blindness
Establishment of a coordinated, nationwide research effort to further
investigate cost of blindness issues related to health care, quality
of life, and rehabilitation services
If the situation is as serious as you say it is, why are the different
levels of government doing so little?
We do not believe that governments have data on the cost of
blindness and
on how a more proactive approach to research, prevention, and
rehabilitation might, in fact, reduce costs Health departments at every
level of government need to establish branches responsible for vision loss
issues
Why do Canadians have to wait up to 28 weeks to see an ophthalmologist, and
another 16 weeks to see an eye surgeon, even with a referral from their GP?
Its the result of the combination of a shortage of ophthalmologists,
government cutbacks, and the rate of retirement For example, government
cutbacks are responsible for Canadian programs producing only 20
ophthalmologists per year as compared with 40 a year produced in the 1980s
Meanwhile, the Canadian Medical Association reported over one-third of
practising ophthalmologists are over 55 And the demand for
ophthalmological services is predicted to jump 44 between 1997 and 2016
How does vision loss contribute to higher costs in other health-care
fields?
Dr Hugh Taylor, the director of the Centre of Eye Research in Australia,
concluded from his study that with vision loss,: the difficulty with daily
living doubles, the risk of falls doubles, the risk of depression triples,
and the risk of hip fractures
quadruples Though there are no specific
figures available in Canada, the medical costs related to treating these
injuries and conditions are substantial
Where does funding for eye research in Canada come from?
Primarily from two federal agencies - The Canadian Institute of Health
Research CIHR and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
NSERC The Canadian Research Chair program CRC is currently funding
about 15 professorships in vision health–related areas Also involved in
research on a smaller scale are the Quebec Vision Health Research Network,
the EA Baker Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness the research arm
of the CNIB, the Foundation Fighting Blindness Canada, and the Glaucoma
Research Society
Isnt that a lot of research dollars forallocated to eye research?
When you add up the budgets of all of these Canadian organizations, the
total amount is C28 million a year And this is double what was spent in
1999 Compare this to The National Eye Institute of America and two major
private research groups that spent approximately US660 million C839
million on blindness research in 2003
How much does blindness cost in Canada?
There are no definitive figures,
but the estimated annual cost of blindness
in Canada is currently C1 billion annually However, soaring associated
medical, rehabilitation, and social costs will have a dramatic impact on
the Canadian economy if nothing is done to address blindness and vision
loss
How much could Canadians save on future health costs if we invested in
blindness prevention programs?
The potential future health savings through investing in blindness
prevention, new treatments, and early intervention haves not been fully
documented but areis likely substantial
What support groups exist to help Canadians who are blind or visually ion-
impaired?
The Canadian National Institute for the Blind wwwcnibca
The National Coalition for Vision Health wwwvisionhealthca
The Foundation Fighting Blindness wwwffbca
AMD Alliance International wwwamdallianceorg
What kinds of vision aids are available for Canadians who are blind or
visually impaired?
The CNIB offers a collection of devices in what can be divided into two
groups: - low-tech and high-tech Low-tech refers to devices such as
magnifiers, needle threaders, large print telephones, and calculators
High-tech devices consist ofinclude computer, or
computer-related
equipment, such as talking books on CD, screen-reading software, braille
displays, and braille translation software For more information, visit
wwwcnibca/tech_aids/
CONTACT:
Ellen Woodger, E Publicity 416 483-2358
ellenwoodger@sympaticoca
Sean McNeely, CNIB, 416 480-7021
seanmcneely@cnibca
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Source:hopkinsmedicine.org
