News from the AOA's Blog

A report released earlier this month by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services through the Agency for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ) indicates that vision screenings, using standard methods of assessing visual acuity in older adults, a practice common in the primary care setting, is insufficient for use as a secondary prevention or screening method.
 
The AOA highlights the significance of the report as an important, evidence-based analysis that health care providers and aging Americans should carefully consider.
 
“The AHRQ findings support the importance of regular comprehensive eye examinations in older adults and highlight the importance of the AOA’s clinical care guidelines for older adults that stipulate the need for annual eye examinations in all adults age 61 or older,” said Michael R. Duenas, O.D., associate director of health sciences and policy at the AOA.
 
In addition, the AHRQ report found that screening for age-related eye diseases, many of which are asymptomatic in their early treatable stages, requires specialized examinations and equipment available through an optometrist or ophthalmologist.
 
“With the prevalence of adult vision impairment and age-related eye disease in America expected to double by 2030, the AHRQ findings offer a clear and distinct reason for all older adults to have a comprehensive eye examination on a regular basis,” said Randolph E. Brooks, O.D., AOA president.
 
In fact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that at least half of all blindness can be prevented through timely diagnosis and treatment.
 
Furthermore, the CDC together with Prevent Blindness America report that the annual economic cost of adult vision loss currently exceeds $51 billion dollars.
 
In addition, the CDC reports that the prevalence of blindness and vision impairment increases rapidly with age among all racial and ethnic groups.
 
The agency’s own data, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) indicates, however, that the vast majority of adults surveyed (60 percent) reported that they had “no reason to have an eye exam.”
 
“Although aging is unavoidable, vision loss associated with aging is often preventable or treatable through regular eye examinations,” said Dr. Brooks. “The AHRQ findings published this month sound an alarm to physicians and other health providers responsible for the health of seniors to consider a comprehensive eye examination an essential component to necessary care. These eye examinations provide important information that may help uncover systemic disease, such as diabetes, thereby supporting a team approach to care.”